Amazing world of Gumball: Shattered lives (Sequel to Lies and Beyond)
by TrueLeaf
Summary: After months had past after the incident, an elderly woman, claiming to be Darwin's grandmother had confronted the Watterson family, and claims that she will take custody over him. The court decides that he will have to get to know this woman, and then in the end, choose who he will stay with. But slowly, he get's to know her, and get's closer to her. Will he leave? or stay?
1. Chapter 1

**Amazing world of Gumball: Shattered lives **

**this is a sequel to Amazing world of Gumball: Lies and beyond. WARNING: I don't recommend you read this unless you have read the first one. Other wise the story will be utterly confusing and it will spoil what will happen for you. But other than that, I hope you enjoy this story. :) Oh and I couldn't write this in the summary, but please review. It really helps. :)**

** Prologue:**

As boring school could get, Darwin couldn't be any happier. It was finally at an end, all of the strife between him and his family. A few months have passed since he came back home. And still, nothing changed. Other than the fact Gumball grew into his habit of wearing the tank tops and Anais wore more jeans and T shirts, They had changed for the better. It was probably bound to happen anyway.

Darwin was walking home late from school, mainly because of the after school detention he had from falling asleep in Ms. Simian's classroom. His backpack, full of books and notebooks had weighed against his back, exhausting the energy out of him. But the cool breeze, alongside the sunset had past a warm feeling inside of safety. He smiled to the sensation and continued walking, despite his slight drowsiness. The wind would cause his shirt to flap against his chest, and whistle against his ear holes. (eww...lol) Darwin could still remember the memories of what had happened, and he could laugh at them. Replaying back in his mind, he could only think of just how stupid they were, it almost seemed.

When the house came into sight, a feeling of warm relief descended upon him. Even more so, Gumball had opened the door watching come closer.

" What took you so long?" He asked in a carefree tone. He matured from then, Darwin just now realized the slight change in pitch of his voice. Darwin shook his head in response.

" Work." He replied with a smile. After he came inside, he took off his shoes and placed them by the closet. Nicole was in the kitchen, cooking dinner when she had took a sidelong glance at him.

" Darwin. You're finally home." She said with a sigh. "I was just about to call the school." Nicole said as she wiped her hands from water against her apron. A slight smile grew on her face.

" So how was school?"

" It sucked...as usual." Darwin replied in a joking way, as he sat down at the couch. Nicole scoffed with amusement.

" No homework?"

" I did it when I was in detention...I made it seem like I was just taking a long time doing the work Ms. Simian gave me." Darwin shrugged carelessly. This made Nicole's smile enlarge.

" Speaking of homework, Gumball, _you_ still need to start. I said you could wait an hour before starting, not two." Nicole said more serious, but her kind grin remained. Gumball sighed and rubbed his scalp.

" Yes mom." He said as he walked up the stairs.

Soon, Anais had rushed out of her bedroom and trotted down the stairs. She jogged in the living room and gave Darwin a heartily hug.

" I wasn't able to give you a hug after school so I'm giving you one now." She said blissfully.

" Alrighty." Darwin smiled, hugging her back. She giggled.

" You stink." She mentioned, soon laughing at it.

" Well, when you're working inside a sunlit room with the heater turned up to 90 degrees when it's already 90 degrees outside, I'm going to stink." Darwin explained. She shrugged apathetically.

" I guess so." She said quickly, then ran to her mom. Now that Anais had pointed it out, he could smell his B.O, and he exhaled out through his nostrils.

" I'm taking a shower." He said, knowing how gross it was to stay inside his sweaty clothes. He jogged up the stairs and gathered clean clothes from his closet. Gumball was doing his homework, and actually seemed to be mindful somewhat at learning; always in school he would always seem to fall asleep.

After Darwin got his clothes, he entered the bathroom to take a cold shower, trying to kill at some of the building heat inside him. He turned the shower knob, and th water immediately crashed against his body. Having water fall against his scales felt weird but rejuvenating. It seemed to almost provide a sense of renewing energy. Inside the shower, he heard someone knocking on the door. Careless at who it would be, he ignored it, knowing that Nicole would answer it. It was probably Richard, if not, just some...person. But after Darwin had taken his mind from the subject, the chatter began, which he sub consciously heard. After a few minutes, he twined the shower knob and he had heard that the simple chatter had turned into a heated argument. Darwin had heard Gumball leave his room and walk over to the living room with curiosity.

" Who is she arguing with?" Darwin said to himself, as he dried himself off with the towel. He watched the door, trying to make out the words that were now being raised in temper. Darwin put on his clothes and left the bathroom, and the dispute elaborated. He came into view from the stairs, and he had seen an elderly woman. A elderly goldfish. As her old eyes had seen him, she motioned for him to come forward.

" Come child." She said, her voice sounded aged sternness. Gumball and Nicole looked back to him, as he began declining down the stairs.

" Don't." Nicole said gravely. Darwin glanced at her and stopped, knowing to always listen to her. Nicole turned back to the elderly woman.

" I don't know who you are, but you can't come to my house and just assume—"

" Assume? I _know_ that Darwin is _my_ grandson. Agnes Holmes was my daughter. That boy you now have is not a Watterson. He is Darwin Holmes, my blood run through his veins and he is not apart of your family." She said back with the same spite, but somehow was able to manage to conceal it yet display it in her weakened voice. But Darwin was petrified from what she had just said. _She's...she's my..._ Darwin thought. His bones chilled deathly cold from the thought. " I'm bringing up a lawsuit tomorrow... I'm going to take custody over my grandson..." The old woman tilted her fedora slightly in the front, with a small grin but it disappeared quickly as she turned away, disregarding whether if Nicole was going to respond or not. "Good day." She bid farewell as she had walked leisurely from their house, using her cane to aid her movements.

Nicole closed the door, securing it with the latch locking and she leaned her back against it. All of the emotions. All of the hard feelings and times. They were finally gone. Now...they were going to come back, and haunt them once more. Nicole knew this, with her tears watering her eyes. They all knew, what was bound to happen. She clenched her fingers, as they grounded against the door.

" I'm not letting you go...I'm not." Nicole said weakly in volume, but sternly in tone. Darwin had noticed Gumball and Anais look at Darwin's face in the corner of his eye. He felt the humiliation build up in him. The embarrassment. Why he was nervous had been unknown. But he felt horribly sick to his stomach. He could feel it knot up inside, as he knew what tomorrow was going to bring. What would happen...once again. This family...would be torn apart.

_ Why me...Why me?_

**Sorry for short chapter! But it is just a prologue. So I hope you like it so far! I'll continue writing it. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Darwin's mind had been furiously filled with worries and thoughts that were nothing but negativity. He held his head with his hands, while leaning his elbows against the table. He was in the kitchen, where everyone else was. Nicole was nervously pacing around in front of the table with slight mutterings to herself in attempt to calm herself or create a reason of why the elderly woman could be lying. Darwin's gut had been twisted in a way that made him want to vomit, being acutely uneasy about the earlier events. His heart had constantly been racing and had throbbed his inside chest, to a point that he could hear the pulses of each beat. It was now night time, and the family had been stirred up from the event for hours.

" She could probably be lying." Nicole tried to reassure the family, even though the apprehension, and the diffidence was vividly shown in her actions.

" But how do we know?" Darwin regretfully added, as he felt the urge to release the vile in his stomach. It made Nicole stop in her tracks, as she crossed her arms across her stomach.

" I can't possibly know— Do you remember her Darwin?" Nicole added quickly to her sentence, with a sort of hope that made him sad that he was going to disappoint.

" No...I don't...Then again, I never really met my parents—well...when they were alive." Darwin said with a sigh, trying to calm the excitement in his nerves.

" Is she going to sue us?" Gumball asked, staring at the table with a heavy contemplating.

" No...I don't know." Nicole said, running her fingers through her hair.

" Gosh, I don't want to lose you again...I can't...I just can't..." Nicole said, trying her best effort to not reveal any tears that welled in her eyes.

" But...it's not our decision." Anais said sadly. She sat next to Richard, who had stayed quiet through all of this.

" I have no choice but to go to the court summons..." Nicole sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "...I don't want to risk anything..." She finished her sentence. She massaged her temples and sat down restlessly at the table, her knee bouncing up and down from her repeatedly lifted heel.

" Do you know her name?" Anais asked, reaching over the other side of the table to grab her mother's hand, trying to bolster her confidence.

" No...She just...came to the door with such little notice...I barely even remember what she looks like now." Nicole said, taking a deep breath, frustrated at the fact of her malaise had caused her to forget the very simple physical appearance of the old woman.

" But I'm gonna try whatever I can...I'm not letting her take you." She directed her claim to Darwin, which she took a sidelong glance at him. Which had also initiated the others to look at him. Darwin felt the heated blood rush to his entire face, as he had looked up at her. He admired her confidence, but he knew what he was about to say was going to quickly kill it.

"...What if she _is_ my grandmother?" Darwin asked in a husky voice. Nicole stiffened, and her eyes had flashed with vigorous disappointment. She slowly looked at the table, with sad eyes. Darwin thought that she would even apologize for saying it. But Darwin had felt worse for asking the question. In the corner of his eye, Gumball had been glaring at him, Darwin didn't know how long, but it seemed that he just started.

" What if? She _isn't_" Gumball said, evident that he was somewhat offended. Darwin glanced at him, along with everyone else.

" How would _you_ know that?" Darwin asked.

" If she was your grandmother, why would she choose _this_ day to come to our house? What about all of those years you were missing?" Gumball explained to everyone, but he kept his primary vision locked at Darwin's face.

" Maybe because she didn't know where I was..." Darwin said thoughtfully.

" She would've had help from the police." Gumball confided. He seemed to be angry, probably at Darwin, from what he said. It was undoubted that Gumball's claims had rose some confidence and hope within the family, but it was still too irrational to assume the elderly woman was lying. Nicole sighed and placed her hands at her hairline, vising out the light from the ceiling.

" It's late... it's about time we went to bed..." She said with a sigh. For a few moments, nobody did anything. Only the ceiling fan was heard, with the looseness of some bolts that had made the fan wobbly, a clicking sound emanated from each complete resolution from a blade. Soon Darwin had gotten up from his seat and departed from the kitchen, and he began striding up the stairs.

When he was approaching the door, he heard footsteps behind him as he opened it. In the bedroom, Darwin was caught off guard from the forceful clench, Gumball had grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around.

" Are you _trying_ to disappoint this family?" He asked annoyed. Darwin's eyes furrowed.

" What? What are you talking about?"

" You know she isn't your grandma. You don't even remember her." Gumball said, his eyes flashing with fierce anger.

" Why are you angry?" Darwin asked confused and in disbelief at Gumball's short temper.

" You're being pessimistic. Can't you at least be confident about all of this?"

" You don't know that for sure she isn't my grandma. And no, I can't be confident because it's still too irrational to believe that she's lying." Darwin said, turning around to his bed and sat down. Gumball just scoffed at his actions.

" _Irrational_?"

" Yes. It means that it's unreasonable." Darwin said, starting to become bothered at Gumball.

" I already knew that, Sherlock. It's not irrational to have confidence, Darwin." Gumball retorted. Darwin ignored him and lied down, now irritated by Gumball's stupidity. Gumball closed the door, releasing a wave of his anger as it slammed. Darwin wanted to show his disapproval of him, but it wouldn't make him any better than him. He climbed up the ladder to his part of the bunk; sleeping in the same room with someone you were currently discontent at was very unfortunate, in both of their opinions. Though as annoyed as Darwin was at him, It still wasn't enough to mask his agitation for the upcoming tomorrow. He knew what lied ahead, what might be decided inside the court.

• • •

In the morning, it was Nicole who drove them to school, leaving Richard home alone. And as expected, Darwin's uneasiness hadn't died down. It still riled in his stomach, churning and twisting around, trying to make him retch. Inside the car was complete silence from everyone, nobody tried to even speak to one another. But Nicole had cleared her throat, preparing herself to talk.

" I have to go to court today...I don't know when...but I hope that I will be able to keep custody..." She said nervously, but inside had lived a sense of hope in it as well. Darwin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to ease himself.

They had stopped in front of the school entrance, where the car slowed down with the slight whine of the wheels, and then halted.

" I love you kids." Nicole said, looking at her departing children.

" Love you too mom." Darwin replied, as he climbed out of the car. He shut the door closed, and turned to the school. As he heard the engine disappear, he had the urge to look at the lime green car. And when he did, he had the slight premonition that it might've been the last time he would call her that.

" C'mon...let's go." Gumball nudged his shoulder. Darwin flinched, and glanced at him. After absorbing the information, he nodded frantically.

" A-Alright." He said, following after Gumball. The simple act of to ingress inside the school; even that was made too difficult from the preoccupation of the vast amount of students always inside the hallways. Having to maneuver past people to get to their locker's, Darwin finally approached his, starting to turn the dial.

" You're going to stay with us." Gumball said beside him. Darwin first was confused of what he meant, but then he had realized he was referring to the court. He had the urge to argue, but today wasn't the day for that. In response, He nodded his head in fraud agreement and opened his locker, taking out his needed materials for math. Darwin slammed his locker door closed and turned around, leaving to class. What he required desperately was some time to think about other things then about the recent events. _It's not going to happen...It isn't.._Darwin endeavored to regain his conscious from his pessimistic talk in the back of his head, trying his best to reassure himself.

As much as Darwin hated class, he knew that he would have to apply his best efforts to keep himself able to stimulate his attention to Ms. Simian's teachings, It would be the only applicable way to diverge his mind from the trial of Nicole. As he entered the class, it wasn't an unexpected sight to see Anais the only one in there. He sat himself at the back rows, where his assigned seat was. He set down his back pack gently on the floor, and straightened his back, trying to keep his energy elicited. Soon, the first bell had rung, signaling students to start going to class. The firs thing that happened was Carrie had fused through the back wall as usual, no longer surprising Darwin and the look on her face somewhat worried him.

" Is it true? Your mom is going to court today?" She asked concerned. Darwin flinched, and furrowed his eyebrows.

" How—Did Gumball tell you?" He asked sternly. Carrie put up her hands in a mock defense.

" Whoa, what's wrong with him telling me?" She said, confused.

" It wasn't supposed to be a thing where everyone knew. It was only supposed to be between us." Darwin said annoyed. But then it came to him. He knew why he did it. He told people to know about it, because he knew that he wouldn't like it. He most likely pushed his own opinion into them so that they would agree for Darwin to stay with them, and not leave with the woman. It was arrogant, and it was selfish of him. Darwin did love them as a family, but they didn't know if she was his grandmother or not. But Gumball only thought about himself. It rose a heated spite in him.

" So I guess it is true." Carrie said thoughtfully.

"Gumball you idiot!" He raised his voice, slamming a forceful fist against his desk, consumed in his anger. The crash had made Ms. Simian, Anais and Carrie jump from fright. Ms. Simian particularly had a puzzle look, considering Gumball wasn't even inside the room.

" What's wrong?" Carrie asked. Darwin stayed silent for a moment longer before he removed his fist from the table.

" Nothing...Everything is fine..."

• • •

After the bell rang, Gumball was finally relieved that he could leave to lunch. And meet with Penny. That he was more intrigued on doing. After walking out of the classroom, he headed straight for the cafeteria.

" GUMBALL!" Darwin roared behind him. His shrilling yells sent a chill up his spine.

" Geez, what's your pro—" Gumball didn't have time to finish, Darwin viciously turned him around, the first thing he'd seen was Darwin's up close, filled with fierce animosity.

" Why the hell do you have to be so selfish?! Huh? Nobody needed to know!" He shouted. Gumball sneered.

" _Selfish_? I'm doing this for you, you dumb ass!"

" Yeah! Because I asked you to tell everyone about what was supposed to be between the family!" He retorted. Everybody around them began staring their way, and some people had stopped, thinking that it might end in another fight.

" She isn't your relative and you know it!"

" You're just assuming that! You don't know yourself so stop acting like you know more than I do!"

" Why? I'm doing this that so you could stay with us. Or is that _not _what you wanted?" Gumball said solemnly. It made Darwin's face increased with spite. People around them began murmuring." I bet you _want_ to go with her...Don't you?" Gumball pressured on, having slight pleasure in making others mad, and getting the last say in an argument. Darwin's eyes flashed with ire, and he began exhaling through his nose. He idly turned his back towards him and headed the other direction. Students parted ways to let Darwin through without force or hindrance. Gumball scoffed at his younger brother, and proceeded his way to the cafeteria.

• • •

" Don't you think it was a little harsh to say that? You know it yourself that he wasn't trying to leave." Penny said, proving her point as she ate out of a plastic container.

" I only said it so he could shut up." Gumball said annoyed.

" I swear, sometimes you two just never get along." Penny remarked. Gumball sighed. He was already annoyed at Darwin, and he wasn't in the exact mood to hear her opinion about everything.

" Well I didn't ask for you opinion." Gumball said icily. Penny glanced at him, a little confused and irritated.

" I don't care if you did, It's not my fault you get so butt hurt about everything." Penny said.

" Can you shut up?" Gumball asked annoyed.

" You ask me to sit with you, and now you're telling my to shut up? You know what, When you finally have the sense of morality and intelligence, to not be such a bitch to everyone, Don't talk to me. That way you might make everyone happier that way." She said, soon getting up from her seat. She walked away and threw her food away in a steam of vexation. Gumball watched her walk away in a speed walk, the thing she usually had done when she was trying to release steam.

" You know, That was brought upon yourself." Anais said, taking a bite out of her sandwich, which contained of nothing more than ham.

" I know that...you don't have to explain the obvious." Gumball said, rubbing his forehead.

" And I also thought you would stop your cussing habit."

" I didn't curse at her." Gumball said, glancing at her face.

" No. But you did at Darwin, whom is more important to keep happy, considering the time of situation we are in. I heard you call him a dummy A s-s, so don't try to lie." Anais said idly, wiping her mouth with a napkin. All Gumball did was groan.

" I know I said I would stop..." He paused shortly and sighed. "...I just can't control my temper...Only around you I can." Gumball said, dropping his head to the table.

" And actually, Darwin has the same thing...maybe only because you both swore you would never lay a hand on me again...Oh yeah, and as for that..." Anais paused. She skewed her elbow and punched him in the side, which with immediate reaction he held his ribcage. He was about to burst out a curse word, but he kept his mouth shut. "That's for hitting me." She said with a smile.

" I know that." Gumball groaned, having the air knocked out of him. For a punch by a little girl, being hit in the side of the ribcage had hurt him like hell.

" GUMBALL, DARWIN, AND ANAIS WATTERSON! PLEASE PROCEED INTO THE MAIN OFFICE! GUMBALL, DARWIN AND ANAIS WATTERSON, INTO THE MAIN OFFICE!" A woman spoke in a mundane tone in the overhead. They both glanced at each other, and Gumball had seen the horror in her face. They both knew what was going to happen. He held her hand, silently reassuring her it was going to be alright.

Inside the office, Nicole had been standing straight, facing towards the door window that was covered with blinds, but through the cracks it released beams of light.

" What happened?" Gumball asked. He looked down at Anais, who was clenching her hands tightly together in a prayer position. She had held her hands close to her stomach, almost looking like she was trying to force them into herself.

Nicole finally turned around, with a tear streaked face.

" Darwin has days where he has to meet with her, his grandmother...We've done a DNA test, and they came out positive..." She paused, and sniffled. Her red eyes had glanced at Darwin. " She's your grandmother...Her name is Rosalind Holmes." Nicole placed her hand on her mouth, trying to keep herself from breaking down into sobs. She took a deep breath.

" In the end...Within one month...Darwin..." She said closing her eyes, shutting them tightly which released more tears. " You choose...you have to choose...who you're staying with." Darwin's heart stopped beating. He held his breath, to the point where his lungs had ached from not receiving enough air. He felt that same poisonous knife had wrench his heart. And his pessimistic memory had reminded him. '_I bet you __**want**__ to go with her...don't you?_'

**End of Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 **

**Sorry about the extreme long wait. I was diagnosed with a severe case of Writer's block. :)**

Darwin couldn't sleep that night. His mind was filled with the images of the sadness of his family's faces, which had became stubbornly enduring. He felt as if he had failed everyone, though in sequence knowing it wasn't his fault. Abysmal, but he knew that he would have to meet Rosalind tomorrow. It was Friday today, which had added more distress to the issue. He knew himself not to put some much optimism in staying with this family, but he never wanted to leave. In a sort of aggravating way, he could even apologize to Gumball, though it was him whom had done wrong.

Without the potential of becoming drowsy, Darwin let himself out of bed and silently walked out of the room, trying his best not to wake anyone up. He sat inside the living room couch, where he held his temples and tried to release his mind from the upsetting truth. His mind became contorted, so filled with many pangs of emotions that he wanted to cry out.

" Why me?..." Darwin whispered to himself, having tears slipping from his eyes. "Why me..."

Darwin knew what he was going to do. He didn't want to be in this situation. And if he ever chose one side of the family, they would hate him for it. Gumball, and all the others would turn away in anger and disappointment. But Rosalind, along with his mother, Agnes and his father Jack; He would be denying their bloodline, and he would disgrace their family. He didn't want to do anything. If he made one choice, it could end in utter contempt in any way possible. So he knew what was the way to end it; and with the knife in tenure, he began shaking.

" I'm sorry." He whispered as he slowly drew it to his throat. In an impetuous act, Darwin had gripped the stiff plastic handle of the serrated blade and lacerated across his neck, feeling it rip across his scales and flesh, leaving it in rips and strings from the half circled serrate. Cutting at his larynx, which spread the pain and slit, Soon he could feel his breathing get cold and hindered, as blood trickled down his neck. His body had begin quivering, reacting in such tremendous quirk, that his psychological had panicked for survival. Gagging for oxygen, he fell to his knees, but his lungs had repleted with pools of his own blood. Coughing and choking out blood, with every attempt to inhale or exhale had filled his mouth with the slight metallic taste of blood, and it spilled from the tip of his tongue, as he had been on his knees and hands. Staining the cold white tiled mosaic floor, that would be forever besmirched. The knife he dropped beside him, as he layed there, slowly bleeding out his life.

Anais woke up, choking out gasps and coughs. Her fur was dampened with perspiration of her brow. She held her throat, obtaining the fear that the unduly lesion was present. She had no sense that there wasn't a scar there and Anais sighed with the sense of frightened alleviation.

" Another nightmare..." She said quietly, closing her eyes. But with the abrupt and accelerating fear, as the thought had raced across her mind, she jumped out of her bed, taking little notice that she was causing all sorts of loudness in the dormant house, she ran to the bedroom that her two brother's owned. And there her breath had escaped her. He wasn't there. She turned frantically and darted down the stairs.

" Anais?" She heard someone call, but remained inaudible to her anxiety. Glancing in the kitchen she had fallen to her knees from weak strength. Falling against the plush carpet, her limbs trembled. There was no corpse in the kitchen. It was all just a terrible dream. Anais clenched her fingers and slowly lowered her head to the carpet, staying in a sort of worshiping position. Consumed with her paroxysmal emotions that stayed unknown to her of what she felt, she couldn't help but tear. It was so horrid, that nightmare. The worst part was it seemed too real. She sadly admit, but it _is _a possibility...that he would do something similar. When she finally came back to her senses, she could hear the loud patter of rain, crashing against the roof. She inhaled deeply, but remained shallow through her trembling. Low rumbles of thunder had disquieted the air. Anais finally picked herself up and stood to her feet.

" Anais, what's wrong?" She heard the voice again. Gumball began walking down the stairs in a leisurely pace. Anais began shivering; the nightmare imprinted it's morbid insight into her mind, becoming more indelible.

" Nothing." She choked out.

" Right." He drawled. " Why were you running?" He asked with less patience. He's seemed annoyed that he was awoken so irrationally early. Anais brushed off his vexation and walked to the couch, where she had seen Darwin's torpid body. Gumball contemplated her actions and had coalesced with an idea. "You were worried for Darwin." He said.

Anais didn't reply, but let her outward appearance speak for her. She held her hands in front of her and sighed unsteadily.

" What made you worried?" Gumball walked closer to her. " Is it because he's going to leave?" He asked with a slight sneer, disliking the fact he had to leave earlier today.

" No..." She said, shaking her head. Finally having the courage to try and condone her nightmare, she rested her hand on Darwin's arm.

" I had... a nightmare." She said with hesitance, astute to the fact that Gumball wouldn't take it earnestly.

"...Seriously?"

" Shut up...It was about him killing himself, okay?" Anais said sternly, though remained stiff.

" You have dreams like _that_?" Gumball asked bewildered. Anais clenched her hands in tight fists again. " What is wrong with you?" He said, apathetic about his offensive words. Anais sneered at Gumball's face and briefly turned away from him, feeling her heart turning into a dim shade of sorrow and anger. Out of her silent rage, she pictured the image of emancipating her anger, brutally beating at his face. Anais sighed and diverged her mind away from the subject.

" Just leave me alone..." Anais said pitifully, moving past by Gumball, and retreated up in her bedroom. Even if Gumball would never lay another hand on her, it didn't mean he wouldn't stop hurting her.

• • •

Today was a Saturday. Which had made everything more _conveniently_ established for Darwin's first day at Rosalind's house. As much as he knew he was related to her, He had the regretful- yet it seemed obligated to feel his relationship with her grow only as diminutive as possible.

Darwin had been sitting on the couch, little aware of the fact he was there for at least an hour. Gazing at the TV only sub-conscious, He was submerged within the compounds of his mind. He sat there, almost as lifeless as a doll. Until Anais had walked into the way of his peripheral vision, only managing to break part of Darwin from his pensive activity.

" Darwin...Are you okay?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows. She leaned to the side, looking at every aspect of Darwin's face in curiosity of what he was doing. Slowly she set himself by his side, still staring at his face. "Darwin."Anais said more sternly, forcing him from his thoughts.

"...What?" Darwin said, taking a deep breath.

" What's wrong?" She asked solemnly. Darwin looked into her eyes for a moment. Then he had sighed and rested his head on the back

" You know what's wrong, Anais. Don't ask questions that you know the answer to." Darwin replied. For a reason unknown, he felt slightly bothered by her presence.

"...I'm sorry. I was just worried..." She sighed, stroking her thumbs together. Darwin turned to her.

" About what?"

" I...Gumball didn't take this seriously...But I had a...terrible nightmare of you..." She said, pausing from the horrible memory. He shifted in his seat, giving his undivided attention to her.

" What was it about?—"

" Darwin, promise me you will never try to sui..." Anais began, panicked by her fear. But she held her breath, pausing from her fright that Darwin wouldn't appreciate what she was about to say.

" Never what?" Darwin asked. Anais wanted to begin crying. Why this dream was so haunting was oblivious to her, and it would only grow worse if she tried to remove it from her mind. A feeling of failure and helplessness descended upon her; a wave of blue shades of sorrow.

"...never mind..." She whispered barely above her breath, stooping her head down to her hands. Darwin remained confused. He wanted to help her with what was troubling her, but what was more disquieting was that she didn't even have the courage to begin conversing about it. Darwin slowly encased her into his arms, trying to comfort her with a hug.

" Anais, what's wrong?" He asked, slowly feeling the warmth creep into his heart. Anais' tears damped his shirt, and she wanted to remain in his loving kindness. But when the thought of the suicide still remained as a possibility, and being reminded of the image of the knife slitting at his throat, she shoved herself out of his arms and leaped off the furniture, and walked a few steps away, back turned to him. They were both perplexed; Anais stifled her shallow breathing, shocked even at what she did.

" Anais... What's wrong?" Darwin was more alarmed, and he had repeated his question.

" I'm sorry." She whimpered. Darwin stood from the couch.

" No, Anais it's alright. What is going on—Did Gumball do something to you?" He asked concerned.

"...I'm fine..." she said, taking in a wavering deep breath. Regardless of what he had tried to do, She wouldn't reveal anything. He sighed, feeling sorry for his younger sibling. She walked out of living room with slow strides, and then out of the house. There, she had sat inside the bench in the garden, residing in her mind for the rest of the afternoon.

• • •

Darwin had walked out of the house, following behind his mother into the lime green car. He entered into the back seat, while she had sat in the front, starting up the engine of the car.

" You know where she lives?" Darwin asked, heedless if she did or not.

" No...But she had told me to drop you off at the school. She would pick you up there." Nicole said, followed by a heavy intake of air. She sniffled; she had been crying probably. Darwin glanced at her blood shot eyes. _It's that painful for her to let me go to Rosalind's house?_Darwin thought to himself. He took one last look at the house, and he had seen Anais watching them carefully. She held her hands, locked together in her fingers in a prayer position. As Nicole began driving away, he waved at her, motioning a farewell. She didn't return it.

" You will have 2 hour intervals at her house, and then I will pick you up. The court decided that you will go to her house at least 5 times a week." Nicole said, upset. Darwin only nodded at this. Knowing that he could relate to what she felt.

The car wheels slowed to a stop, emanating a whine from the pressure. With a surge of reluctance, he had gotten out of the car without saying a goodbye. Nicole's car then drove away in the distance, leaving Darwin to regret every moment of not showing or indicating he loved her. It wasn't long until Rosalind had appeared with her car, a 1985 volvo that was a blanched teal. She drove in with a smile and patted on the front seat beside her. Seeing her face, had felt annoyance for the elderly woman. He opened the door, and having the feeling he should stray from his usual attitude, he sat down gently instead of plopping down lazily.

" How are you doing, my dear?" She asked with bliss, while veering slowly into the street. He glanced at her and back at the windshield.

" I'm fine." He said quietly. The car had felt worn in the interior, but he also received the thought that it was recently refurbished.

" That's good." She said, nodding with a slight approval. As much as he knew they were related, he couldn't explain why he felt this way towards her. Throughout the rest of the drive, they remained silent. Only the slight jostle of the car and the humming engine had crept in through their bleak conversation.

• • •

Her house was mostly what he had expected. She lived in the old, retro part of town, where the house were probably more durable and worthy quality of woods that was used to make them. The houses also shared the nostalgic style of arched doorways, large thick glass windows; the time where the manufacturers actually put effort and quality in their work. The houses had varied from the small to large, where Rosalind lived in a large house. She came to a stop at a burgundy house, where compared to the Watterson's, it was gigantic.

" Come on." She said, unbuckling herself and soon out of her way of the car. Darwin undid his seat belt but his eyes remained glued to the house. _This is where she lives? _He questioned in his mind.

He walked behind her up the pathway to the house. She walked with long strides, And unlike any old lady, she was able to walk with a straight back, Despite the fact she had a cane sometimes. Just as beautiful as the house was, her garden was flourishing with grass. The only problem was that they were wild and spreading too much.

" Your grass seems too long." He said apathetically, looking around at the uneven heights of the blades of grass. She gave his claim a slight flick of her wrist; a wave; the motion to indicate they didn't care much.

" Bah. I'm too old to care about that dear." She said while unlocking the door to her house.

Inside, the first thing he noticed was the ceiling. Unlike the other house, it wasn't the typical square. It had actually had a smooth, half circled indent. Accompanied with a pure glass chandelier in both living room and kitchen.

" Come on in. Make yourself at home!" She said, booming her voice from the kitchen. He flinched and looked at her. She began cackling at his reaction. He didn't know she could raise her voice without hacking a lung first.

Darwin viewed her place, seeing how antiqued it appeared to his eyes.

" Sit down, dear." She said, setting herself in a fancy leather rocking chair. Darwin obeyed and sat down at her couch. Rosalind sighed and removed her glasses from her nose bridge.

" I know you don't like me dear. You don't have to hide it your emotions." She said, looking more solemnly into his eyes. " I want you to say what you are thinking." She said, blinking then leaning forward in her chair. Darwin watched her for a moment then sighed through his nostrils.

" To tell the truth... I don't even want to be here." He began. Darwin tried to stray away from too hurtful words that might make Rosalind grievous. " I...I don't even know why...why I came _here_...You are my grandmother...But...You showed up 16 years late in my life...I...I can't express how much...I can't even begin to show how much compassion is gone...I don't..." Darwin stopped, glancing at her face. Rosalind studied his face and words with great concentration. But there were no tears, no sign of any offenses or sadness. Darwin licked his dry lips and continued.

" I don't feel the relationship for you...As I do from my...other family...I...there's no connection anymore. I searched for my parents...I did and I left that family for a year or so. And I found out that my parents are dead." Darwin said, feeling the tears well in his eyes. " Once I finally learned to except that my parents are dead, and then I could finally live in...harmony with my family again, I was ecstatic...I was ready to thrive through the years, knowing that blood didn't matter to family. They were my true family." Darwin paused, and closed his eyes. He took a faltering deep breath and continued.

" And then you come along...16 years later and I find out that you've been alive... this whole time...And not once have I seen your face. Not once have I heard your name, Not once have I ever knew that if you ever looked for me...Until now." His face grimaced. He wiped his eyes and sniffled, releasing the contempt he had sheltered away a long time.

" Why did you choose now? Why not then? Why didn't you come when my parents died, that way I didn't have to have the pain of caring for another family, and knowing that within a few months range I have to choose which family I have to live with, and which ever I choose, will forever change my life?

" If I choose you...They will never forgive me. If I choose them. I will be neglecting my bloodline, I will be refusing my inheritance..." Darwin glanced out the window, feeling that he didn't want to look at her face.

" Why did you choose now?" He asked again. There was a few moments of silence before she had sighed. Rosalind removed her glasses from her nose bridge.

" I didn't choose. I didn't choose anything to happen. The day my daughter died, I _did_ look for you. I came to the Elmore Hospital, because my daughter had called me, saying she was going to give birth to a baby boy. When I heard it caught on fire, I made my way straight in there, looking for you. The police suppressed me and said I need to stay back. I yelled at them where is my grand child? They gave no answers. Next day passed, It came on the news that Agnes Holmes and Jack Hamilton and along with others had died. I assumed you died with her. Because there wasn't a trace left for me to look for you. Many people expressed their condolences to me and the other victims. One police officer had came up to me and gave me carnations." Rosalind said, her eyes glancing at the floor. She had thought about the memory for a while before continuing.

" She had said she was there when my daughter died. And we shared stories together. My, we even became friends. We were at the memorial of all the people that died in the incident and then it was time for her to go, I assumed she had police work to do. Before she left, she told me this." She stopped and looked Darwin in the eyes, so graven and serious.

" _You have a beautiful grandson._" Rosalind put emphasis in the entire sentence. She sighed, with slight annoyance, and she leaned her cheekbone on her long, frail fingers, holding her elbow on the arm rest. " At first I received her compliment as 'you _had_ a beautiful grandson'. As soon as I realized that she said have, as in present tense, I immediately ran at her car, but she had already driven away." She stared at nothing, contemplating the event in her mind.

" I even called the police force a numeral of times, before they had told me I would get arrested If I didn't stop using their number for such trivial matters; there was no way I could contact her. All I knew was her name. I was able to open up a Missing child's case. But they've been searching for as long as I have." Rosalind said.

" For 16 years I had been searching for you. Finally I found out where my police friend lived— forgive me I forgot to say her name. Linda McCoy. I found out where Linda lived—"

" Linda?" Darwin choked out. Rosalind flinched and looked at him with widened eyes.

" Yes...Her name was Linda...Furthermore, I found her strolling down the street in her police car. finally I asked her how she knew about my grandson, and she told me everything. From where you were at the current moment, to where you were living, and who were your current foster parents." Rosalind cleared her throat. For a reason unknown, he felt annoyed that she had said foster.

" That was when I came to the house a few days back. I didn't just _choose_ a day to look for you. I looked for you, all of your life. But your foster parents had made sure to keep your name clean and hidden, and even had the arrogance to rename you _Watterson_." She said with utter contempt on the name. Darwin began to feel offended. " They claimed you as their _pet. Fish_. I was infuriated when I heard that. All so that they could keep the case of the missing child closed. Only a few months ago they even went as far as _adopting_ you as they're own—"

" Just _stop_." Darwin had taken enough. He loved his family. No matter if they called him a pet before, they truly loved him as their own. And there was nothing wrong with that. Rosalind was left baffled, and her jaw was partially hung out. " If you don't like it or not, I love them as my own as well." Darwin said coldly. Rosalind was in her state a while longer before closing her mouth and swallowing.

" Do you love me as your own grandmother then?" She asked, straightening her back. The way she had asked; it wasn't if she was saddened, but more questioning him in a angry matter. Darwin couldn't answer her question. He didn't know if he did or didn't. He couldn't love her, yet he couldn't not love her. There was that feeling of tension whenever he came to that question: _Do I love her? Or not..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

**Sorry for my annoying hiatus'. I was busy ALL week, plus I got sick, so yeah...**

Darwin felt his blood strictly freeze as he sat in the car, accompanied by his grandmother in the driver's seat. Rosalind was driving him home, and after what had happened at her house, he felt unnerved to say anything to her, in fact, he couldn't even face her, let alone sit near her. He had leaned against the side of the car slightly, trying to avoid any contact. He was too nervous and reticent to apologize for his answer; he said it impetuously from annoyance. He didn't mean for it to actually make her cry. And the silence between them had only made matters worse. It crept to him with a constant quirk at the back of his neck, bringing out the hairs with a tingle that sent chills down his spine.

They had pulled up by the school and she slowed to a stop.

" Here you are..." She said, barely above a low voice. " I hope you feel better.." Rosalind added. Darwin unlatched his seat belt from the receiver and opened the car door. He exited and closed the door behind him. He swallowed hard and it hit against his gut. Darwin turned to the open window and leaned forward.

" I'm sorry...I didn't mean it." Darwin said, quivering on the inside. " I was only annoyed..." annexed. Rosalind gave him a sorrowful sidelong glance, her eyes still a little watery from before.

" But I suppose it means your answer remains." She said. Darwin felt goose bumps strike at his arms and body. He cleared his throat.

" I don't know what my—"

" Child...whomever family you choose...I hope you choose one that makes you happy..." Rosalind nodded her head, and then a small smile emerged. Darwin became a little perplexed by her reaction, and he straightened his back. Then, she slowly drove her car away in the distance.

"Good bye..." Darwin muttered, watching it disappear down the hill.

He walked the rest of the way back, aground into his trail of thoughts. Rosalind had...such a morality to her. It was almost eccentric. Nicole would try her utmost best to keep him, and he understood that a parent would do that, try and force her opinion in him. But yet...Rosalind, his _real_ grandmother, had given him the choice to choose. She didn't force him to like her, but she knew that in this situation, his choice mattered most, and she knew not to push her opinion, unlike Nicole. It successfully changed the way her thought about her. She proved to be most venerable.

• • •

Anais stayed in her bedroom for the remainder of her time. There wasn't much she could do, going to Cecilia's would be more of a chore, considering how far she would have to go, at least 7 miles, probably even more so. (Even if she did ride a bus.) All of the toys she once had have now been gorged into boxes and placed into her closet.

She terribly wished she had something to do to occupy her mind off of the nightmare. She never had a dream trouble her so much; why this one did was beyond her. Though one possible suggestion she ensured to withhold her mind of was that her dream could possibly be déjà vu.

" Anais!" Richard called out from the living room. Anais jumped from fright. She turned around from her bed and looked at the door. She stood to her feet and slowly walked out of her room. Instead of watching TV with no interest in it, he was reading a book on the couch, finally doing something more productive than normal. He even had his reading glasses equipped. He glanced away from the pages and his magnified eyes looked at her. As well as Gumball, whom as well was present in the living room. Anais kept a hard look at his face; trying to make known she was still angry at him for his comment.

" Yes dad?" Anais replied, looking back at her father.

" Come. I want to talk." He said, gently stationing a book mark in the hinge of the page he was at and positioned it on the coffee table. Anais took slow strides down the stairs, a little fearful that Gumball was going to be associated within their conversation. She walked in front of the couch and sat on the opposite side of her father.

" What do you want to talk about?" Anais asked. Richard set his focus on her face, with the slight hint of concern in his eyes.

" I was told that you were, how should I say,_ afraid_...this morning..." He began, gently removing the glasses from his nose bridge. He folded the glasses' temples and set them on top of his book. " In fact— you even, from what I've heard, you were worried for Darwin..." He slightly tilted his head to the right. " Is everything alright?" Richard added. Anais felt her body temperature decrease. She wished that Gumball would keep his mouth shut for once in a while.

" Everything is fine. It was just a stupid nightmare." Anais cleared her throat. Afterwards, she felt idiotic for bringing up the matter of her dream.

" You're nightmare? What was it about?" Richard asked curiously.

"...I don't want to talk about it—it doesn't matter much anyway." Anais shook her head. Richard slightly squinted his eyes.

" Are you still afraid?" He pondered. Anais heart skipped a beat.

" No, Dad...I'm fine..." Anais said, becoming more nervous.

" I want you to tell me, Anais. I'm not going to do anything." He said calmly. "When did you start having these nightmares?" He asked.

" When...Rosalind first came here." Anais said, keeping herself from disclosing anything about her dream.

"...So are you afraid of Rosalind—"

" No, Dad. I'm _not_ afraid of anything." Anais said with annoyance. She tried to maintain a constant rate of breathing, trying not to make herself look suspicious.

" I can tell you what it is." Gumball added. Anais shot a cautious look at Gumball. He caught her sight and she obscurely shook her head. _Don't...Please_. She thought to herself. Gumball blinked for a moment, having an afterthought about whether he should tell. But he cleared his throat and looked back at Richard.

" It was about Darwin committing suicide." He said, glancing back at Anais. She felt a fearful jolt hit her heart as she saw Richard's eyebrows furrow.

" _Suicide_?" He asked, then taking a suspicious glance at Anais. His eyes were heavily focused on her now, and his face was full of sealed shock. His disposition was succinct, but she could read the tenure of his thoughts, _that is _not_ normal_. " Why do you suppose you had a dream like that?" Richard asked, as if she knew the reason why she dreamt it.

" I don't know, Dad, I was just afraid." Anais shrugged, looking at his eyes. But she could tell, he thought it was something much deeper, perhaps even a mental condition.

" Are you sure it isn't anything else?" Richard put emphasis on the _else._ This made her heart wrench.

" Why? You think there's something _wrong_ with me?" Anais blurted out from a brief pang of emotion.

" Have you had other dreams like this?" Richard asked, as if he believed she was. She was impinged to speak, petrified by fear and sorrow. She couldn't help but remember in the morning, when she had said 'another nightmare'. She did have other dreams like this, but ones not so demented. She felt to afraid to answer, knowing that regardless if she did or not, their thoughts would remain unchanged.

" So it's a yes." Richard concluded, sighing deeply. He massaged the radix of his nose bridge.

" Can I go now?" Anais asked, her lower lip shivering. She tried her best effort not to let her voice betray her.

" You can go." He said, nodding. Anais quickly stood from her seat and retreated to her bedroom. Now her father knew about it, and had the same reaction that Gumball did. He made things worse, always opening his mouth whenever he didn't need to. She closed the door and felt her hands tremble as she released the door knob. She slowly reclined on the bed and burrowed her head in her pillow. She stifled her sobs and buried herself under her blanket.

• • •

Gumball watched Anais' door intently. He could hear her crying from the down stairs. He only wanted to help her; He didn't intend for her to become so upset. Gumball began his way towards the steps, but someone started knocking on the door, right when he was on the verge of advancing up the stairs. He sighed and reluctantly reversed around to the door. He twined the knob and opened it, there Darwin emerged from the sunlit outside.

" Hi." Darwin said with a small smile. He let himself in and Gumball closed the door behind him.

"Hey." He replied. Gumball began again to cilmb to the stairs and he crept slowly to Anais' room, where he could hear her sobs elaborate. He stopped at her door, becoming greatly discourage when a creak emanated from the wood floor. She stopped and he knew that it was useless to try and stay anonymous.

" Anais?" Gumball began.

" Leave me alone, Gumball." She said, soon snifling.

" I'm coming in." He grabbed the door knob.

" Gumball, no!" She said sternly. He slowly opened the door, and saw Anais on her bed. Her face was soaked with tears. " I just want to be alone..." She said weakly. He closed the door gently behind him and sighed.

" I want to apologize, that's all." Gumball said gently. Anais lowered her head to the palms of her hands.

" Why do you always do this? you say you're sorry but you keep doing it again and again—"

" I know, I know...I...don't mean to...I just tried to help, I know I made it seem like I was just being a bitch—" Gumball held his breath and tightened his hands into fists, remembering that he was going to stop his cursing. Anais looked up at him. "...a jerk about it before, but I was just... annoyed, I mean, I just woke up at that time." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. " I'm sorry...i didn't mean to make you cry..." Gumball always felt slightly embarrassed to apologize and suck up his pride. He glanced back up at her, observing to see if she forgave him. She wiped her nose and snifled.

" It's alright..." She said, nodding her head slightly. Gumball knew she would still be doubtful about his apology, concerning what she had claimed earlier was true. Though he thought of a way to ensure he meant it this time.

" How about I buy you something?" He asked with a smile. Anais' eyes slightly widened.

" What?" She asked bewildered.

" I...I just feel like I owe you a better apology. And there's no better way then to give you something you want." Gumball shrugged. Anais had appeared to somewhat like the idea, but he knew she would like to remain humble, so she shook her head.

" No, it's alright Gumball. you already apologized."

" You said so yourself that I kept on doing the same things over again, and I also know that you're still doubtful about my apology. Besides, I want to do this." Gumball said, walking to the bed and gently grabbed her hand. " I'm not changing my mind." He said, grinning a wide smile. Anais kept her eyes on him for a moment longer until she sighed.

"Thanks Gumball." She rose to her feet, showing she yielded. He felt a relieving wave of accomplishment, doing good things for his younger siblings always made him feel slightly enamored and humble. As he departured from her room to retrieve his shoes, Anais followed with him. She began to think differenlt about him now. _Whether he hurts me or not, he's still the loving kind brother he always was_.


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

2 weeks later

Darwin had begun feeling differently towards Rosalind. She was so kind to him, and yet the first day she met him he said he didn't love her. It made him feel guilty, and yet she still showered her kindness to him. It made him, actually, happy to go to her house. He would await the next to go to her house, and when the three days were over, he would look forward to the next week. She taught him many things as well, playing the piano for one. She kept a grand piano in her music room, where he unearthed information that his mother loved to play the violin. He learned a thing or two from that as well. And of the stories she would talk about, it enthralled him to hear the adventures of her life, hearing she traveled to England and Eastern Asia during her youth. And yet...at the same time he felt, guilt for having such pleasure of enjoying her presence. He felt guilty for loving her, and caring for her. Because deep down he knew, he was only making it harder for himself. He knew that time would eventually come...for him to choose.

• • •

Darwin decided to mow her lawn. After all, with her olden age, she couldn't possibly do it. And it needed to be accomplished in the first place. He had been pushing, and pulling at the mower, where it was ridiculously heavy at the body of where the motor was. He thought it would've been a no-sweat process, but reality would always prove him wrong. From his incessant arched back, stretching it out would release an agonizing ache; he knew in the morning he was going to be sore.  
" Oh, honey, you're doing this for me?" She asked, sauntering down the few numbered stairs on the porch. Darwin looked up from the grass, he had been too focused on making the blade the same length he hadn't realized the time that had passed.  
" Oh...yes, you said you wouldn't be able to." He said, wiping his brow. This brought a gentle smile to her face.

" You're so kind. Thank you so much, dear." She approached him and gave him her accustomed delicate hugs. Darwin felt slightly nervous she might smell the odor that emerged from his body. She released him and began returning to the porch.  
" You can just put the mower back in the garage, dear. I have something inside I want to show you." She said, keeping her intentions brief. He complied to what she said and returned the mower from where it originated. He spread forth his arm and closed the garage door, which had a loud creaking sound to it whenever it was pulled or lifted.

He walked back inside and slipped off his shoes; knowing that she didn't appreciate people in shoes while in her house. He had walked inside her kitchen,where he became baffled. She baked him a cake, where she did the icing and decorations herself. Adorned on the cake, written in neat cursive, read "To my beloved grandson, Darwin." After reading it, he felt touch; he couldn't withhold the smile that appeared on his face.

" Thank you, grandma." He said. She nodded her head with her smile.

" Your welcome dear...Oh and I must mention that I made this red velvet." She said, glancing back over at the cake.  
" My daughter's favorite cake was red velvet. I know it was kind of rash, but I assumed it was yours. Your father's favorite cake though was chocolate." She said, soon grimacing slightly from the word. " I never really was a fan of _chocolate_." She said, soon belting out a genuine cackle. Darwin chuckled and layed his eyes back at his cake.

" I made this because I missed 16 years of your birthdays...I never got a chance to make you a cake until now." She said, placing her fragile hand on his shoulder. Darwin turned to her; he'd been given cakes before. But never before had it felt so filled with honest love and care, this was almost certified as a perfect present in Darwin's eyes.

" Thank you, so much." He repeated. Rosalind gave him a large smile, and slightly nodded her head again.

" It's just what a grandmother does." She confided. Though when Darwin thought of Granny jojo, He felt an inside laughter rise that was difficult to sustain. Darwin took one last glance at the cake and began to sink within his mind, pensive in his conscious. After a few moments he reverted back to reality.

" Hey Grandmother?" He began, his tongue felt slightly awkward for using mother instead of ma.

" Yes dear?" Her eyebrows lifted with a sort of content on what he had to ask. Though it made him fearful and discouraged. But within a split second of confidence he cleared his throat.

" Do you mind if I spend the night?" He asked, trying to refrain himself from looking at her. Rosalind smiled, welcoming his invitation with warmth, she would usually accept his request. But she had faltered in her answer, and her face turned more sullen.

"...I would say yes dear...but your other family...it's their decision as well." She said, in a tone that would hint _You know that, right?_ Darwin sighed, knowingly but afraid that would be her answer, nevertheless it was true.

" I know." He said disheartened. They weren't going to like this...

• • •

Darwin could only watch. His eyes were locked on the door to his home and yet he hadn't the bravery to exit the car and appeal to his family. He remained in his seat, scratching at his index finger with his thumb that had been irritated constantly. His stomach turned into a knot, He was nervous, and, actually somewhat afraid.

" Darwin?" Rosalind called. " Are you alright?" She asked. Darwin turned to her, glancing at her face had brought a bit of steadiness to his anxiety.

" I'm... I'm not fine." He admitted; there was no need to lie. " But I'm going to ask them...In time." he said, sighing as he looked back at the house.

" You know, darling, You don't have to do this."

" I want to...grandma..." He replied. Darwin took a deep breath, and slowly exited the car. Closing the door gently behind him, he made his way up the driveway, where thoughts had been intruding his mind that this was a bad idea. His grandmother had told him on the way here she would wait at the school, and so keeping her word, she veered into the street and drove into the darkness.

Darwin ceased at the door, nothing but he heart beat throbbing his chest was heard in his ears. And knowing that sooner was better, he rapped his knuckles at the door gently, and with the startling immediacy, Gumball opened the door. It gave Darwin a fright up his spine as he gasped.

" You were in her car for a long time." He said. Darwin knew that someone would've been watching them. Though Gumball kept a keen eye on him. " Come on in." He moved out of the way. Darwin walked inside, where he could feel the sweat gather over his torso. In the living room, he saw his mother in the kitchen, cooking them dinner, chronic to her behavior.

" Hi Darwin." She said with a smile. Nicole had lightened up from the times that Darwin went over to Rosalind's house; she no longer felt overwhelmingly sad. But her smile disappeared abruptly once she discerned his awkward conduct. "What's wrong?" She asked, putting down a plate. Darwin's finger began to burn again.

" Hi...mom." He said hesitantly. He had the guilty feeling that saying mom to Nicole didn't feel as candid as it did before.

" What is it?" She seemed concerned at this point. Darwin attracted the whole room's attention. He could feel their eyes boring in the back of his skull, and into his face. He licked his dry lips and continued.

" I'm fine" Darwin lied. He felt a pass of relief, but he was annoyed at himself for trying to dismiss the reason he wanted to talk to her. Though in attempt to calm his nerves before he did anything, he made his way to the couch and sat down by Anais, watching TV for a while to diverge his mind for the time being.

" Hi Darwin." Anais said with a smile. Darwin nodded, and returned a smaller smirk.

" Hey Anais." He replied.

" How was Rosalind's house?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.

" It was alright." Darwin kept his eyes solely at the TV to try and give off the sense that he didn't want to talk at the current moment. As rude as it seemed for him, he did it to calm himself. He was a little relieved that Anais had realized this by his disposition. Soon she resumed watching TV, deciding to leave him alone. Richard was on the other side of the couch, reading the book he had before with the same pensive furrow to his eyebrows.

After a good ten minutes, he was able to remain the control over the speed of his breathing and heart rate. At this point, he knew it was about time to ask her. In sequence, he began to feel the grip of anxiety harden, starting to numb the senses at his legs. He stood up from the couch and approached the kitchen where his mom was still occupying. She was now chopping at an assortment of vegetables, wielding a large kitchen knife to slice at them at a rate that somewhat alarmed Darwin. Nicole glanced up from her labor and tarried her work.

"Hello Darwin...do you need something?" She asked with her ears perked. By this, he knew she was giving him her undivided attention. He licked his dry lips and straightened his back.

"Mom...I need to ask you something." Darwin said. She settled down her knife by the miniature blocks of vegetables and wiped her hands on her apron.

"What is it?" She inquired. Darwin took a silent deep breath and continued.

" I wanted to spend the night at Rosalind's." He said quickly. And at this moment, Anais had paused the TV, Richard looked up from the book he was reading, and everything died down to a silence that could only fright you. At this point, Darwin kept his back straight, feeling the chills stampede throughout the nerves in his body.

" You want...to spend the night at Rosalind's house?" Gumball rephrased his sentence. Darwin lowered his head.

" Yes..." He said weakly. Darwin heard Nicole turn from him and face the kitchen sink.

"...Darwin..." She began. But her voice trembled. " Don't you realize how hard...I'm trying to keep you away from _her_?" She said, tightening her fists

" So it's settled then..._now_, we know what family Darwin wants to be with..." Gumball shook his head with a sneer. Darwin glanced at him, seeing his eyes well up in tears.

" Gumball—" Within an instant, Darwin felt pain stretch across his nose bridge as he felt Gumball's fist slam against it. Darwin retreated, tears slipped down his chin as he held his nose that had felt broken. Blood began to shed out his nostrils and the skin of his nose bridge.

" What the fuck is wrong with you!" He yelled.

" Gumball!" Nicole shouted.

" All you want is to be with her! What about us? The people who took care of you, you selfish bastard!" He insulted. Darwin stood straight and held his nose with one hand.

" Gumball, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Nicole exclaimed

" That bastard right there!" He said, pointing at Darwin with spite. Darwin couldn't take this anymore. Everything he ever did had always upset the family. Rosalind was his grandmother. They were not going to stop him from seeing her. With a anger and the want of requital, Darwin turned to Gumball and shook his head.

" I would be embarrassed to say I'm related to you." He said solemnly. " But that's why I'm happy to say that I'm not...And that Rosalind _is_." Darwin said, which made Gumball hold his tongue. His eyes searched Darwin's face, for any evidence if he wasn't serious. But once he found out he was, it made him turn away. The house was now lingering in silence. Nothing but cold aura and hate was between them.

"Darwin..." Nicole said weakly. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off from her grip.

" I probably won't ever come back...I don't want to be here, if seeing my grandmother isn't a good thing." Darwin said icily. He heard Nicole's hesitance to speak any further. And with that, he departed from the house and into the night. Walking down their driveway, a festering anger rose. He was more than angry. But for the first time, he felt _hatred_. And he had the feeling that it would live on, and thrive through him if he were to remain there. Making his way to the school on the sidewalk, he had the sole confidence that he wasn't ever going return back to that house. Knowing that the main factor was that the house wasn't where he belonged in the first place. And that probably...wasn't an option.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"What happened to your face?!" Rosalind gasped. Her hand shot up to her mouth once she absorbed the fact that blood had exited from the side of his nose. " Who did this to you?" She demanded to know. By the anger on her face, she wanted to find out desperately.

" It's fine Grandma, it…it's alright." He said, shaking his head. Darwin entered the car but Rosalind was still in disbelief.

" Was is that blue cat? That brother of yours?" She inquired. Darwin knew even if he told her who was to blame, Rosalind herself wasn't going to be able to do much, other than a stern talking to which Gumball would probably wouldn't consider listening to.

" It was him, yes but it's alright, grandma…I'll be fine." he said, still closing the orifices of his nose to inhibit the flow of blood.

" It is _not_ alright! I'll will not stand idle by while my grandson is getting beat because he wanted—" She paused, while drastically unlatching her seatbelt. "—to go spend the night with his Grandmother!" She exclaimed.

" Grandma, it's alright, please, I'm gonna be fine." Darwin said. She pushed open the door of her car, disregarding the requests of a 16 year old. She began marching away into the direction of the house he recently left. Her car lights gleamed on her back as she was obstinate on reprimanding the people of his old home. He sighed and undid his seatbelt, soon out of his way of the car, trying to figure a way to persuade his grandmother out of doing this.

" Grandma…_Grandma._" He said briskly.

" What?!" She snapped.

" Just leave them alone, please. They don't matter to me anymore." He said, swallowing the lump in his throat. He knew that it was only seldom the truth; the only people to remain in his heart was Anais and Richard. Rosalind stopped in her tracks and shot a sidelong glance at Darwin.

" If they're not going to…If they don't like the fact that I'm going to see my grandmother, then I don't want to be with them…Please, let's just go. I don't want to spend anymore time there as it is." He said, placing a hand on her forearm. Her understanding yet cross look remained hardened on her face. She sighed and crossed her arms, abruptly turning around and heading back to the car.

" Thanks…" Darwin said.

" If they ever hurt you again, I'm not going to let you come with me to their house." She said earnestly, knowing that he would just talk her out of it. Climbing back into the car, Darwin couldn't help but feel happy. It was nice to be with his real family— one of his bloodline. She started the engine and began driving away. Whenever she displayed her love or any emotion that demonstrated that she cared for him, it was much, much more heart felt to him than it was when he had spent his time at _that_ house…Though Darwin thought about this for a moment. He couldn't help but have the connection still. Even with Nicole and Gumball. It was just that small connection that united them, slightly. Though it still made him peevish. The thought of caring for them still. It was always a quarrel—the love for that family. Darwin did, in fact, love them still, but they were always so ignorant sometimes. And most of the time, selfish. But everybody had their defects. Darwin sighed to himself. He glanced out of the window, watching everything pass by the car at a speed that it was hard to make out just about everything that passed by. _Damn memories…_ Darwin said to himself, knowing that it was those that kept his affection from that family.

· · ·

Gumball knew his presence wouldn't be appreciated by anyone. He knew it was him, it was always his fault for being the one pissing Darwin off. So he remained in his bedroom for the rest of the night, probably, even all day tomorrow. It was his choleric attitude that made him unlikable to be around—There were even times where he could state he hated himself. And currently, he could state it right now.

It had been at least a few hours now. Lingering in the darkness of his room, where loneliness accompanied him when no one else would. But nevertheless, he couldn't halt his emotions. All he could do was stifle them. Lower himself down so that no one could hear that he was grieving over the fact he was guilty. His mother, worst of all, had even admitted _I'm tired of looking at you_. Her exact words…And they were perennial in the depths of his mind. Used to the sound of his cries and the lurking nothingness, the abrupt sound of the door creaking open startled, causing him to choke and cough on his sobs.

" Gumball?" A voice whispered. Anais. And it didn't surprise him. Gumball was familiar to her actions, that now he was able to foresee her reasons why she came here.

" Yes….Anais?" He asked quietly. Before she would respond, she closed the door to reassure Gumball nobody else would be listening to them.

"…It's no use asking if you're alright…" Anais began, slowly advancing to the silhouette that she assumed was Gumball in the dark. "… I wanted to accompany you." She said. The quiet sound of her feet pressuring the soft carpet gave him insight she was nearing to him.

" It's fine…Anais…I just want to be alone—"

" You never want to be alone, Gumball. I know you…" She confided. He felt her hand gently touch against his back. She figured out correctly he was sitting at the desk.

" You never were really a person to be independent in times like these." Anais said. Gumball sniffled.

" Why aren't you angry at me? Why…why do you never…—"

" It's because I'm not angry… I…well…I know you were the one to cause Darwin to leave…but…What good does pointing fingers do? I know you didn't mean it, it was just your anger…it's a hard thing to control..." Anais said.

" You're telling me…" Gumball said with a sigh.

" What mom said…Just don't take heed to it. When we're angry, we say things we don't really mean. Like with you, you do things you don't mean to. It's just our emotions get within our logic." Anais said. It was almost she was lecturing him, something he already knew. She would carry one like this for some time—Knowing this because she had done this before. But he never really interrupted her. Gumball hardly interrupted her for some reason. " So I'm not angry because you didn't mean to do what you did…Mom just needs some time to realize that you're anger is something that…needs some help with." Anais said, rubbing her hand on his shoulder.

"…Sometimes…" Gumball began. "…You act a lot older than your age…Something that I admire…yet envy about you. I can hardly keep my head if someone is making fun of me." He shook his head, sighing in disappointment at himself.

" We all have defects, Gumball…I mean, I act like I'm better than people—"

" No you don't."

" Yes I do…I mean, few months ago, I was yelling at you, when Darwin was trying to find his parents, I wouldn't want to listen to you because I thought I was right, and you were wrong…Also I try to show off at school at how smart I can be, which than I always hate myself for…" Anais sighed.

" Dad is lazy. Mom is always criticizing us for our mistakes, and usually when we try to do good, she only notices the things we don't do." She said, beginning to list what were the wrong things of the family. " Keep in mind that your anger issues is just the same as ours." Anais said.

Gumball listened wholeheartedly. Usually it was the older siblings to help the younger with their troubles and frustration. For some strange reason, Anais was able to imitate the caring maturity to him just as if he were younger than her. He smiled at the thought and huffed.

" Sometimes I think that you're the only one in this house with a sense of morality." Gumball said.

" Not just me…Gumball." Anais remarked. " Everyone does."

· · ·

**Next day**

Darwin was somewhat relieved that Rosalind had called him in for the day. She didn't want him to be near the presence of the kid who did this to him, and so she had made an excuse, using that he was sick today. Although tomorrow would be one hell of a day of work.

Darwin inspected his nose thoroughly, trying to ensure it wasn't broken.

" Are you sure?" he asked, looking at every aspect and inch of his nose in the mirror.

" I'm sure. If your nose was broken, the nose bridge would be out of place." Rosalind called from the living room. Nevertheless, it was still painful to touch it.

" Is it sprained?" He asked curiously.

" Nope." She answered simply.

" Hmm." Darwin hummed. He sighed and turned off the light from the bathroom. He walked out and entered in the living room, where his grandmother was cooking lunch for them.

" I'm making quesadillas!" She said with excitement. " It's so much fun cooking…" She watched the tortillas intently as it sizzled on the frying pan. Darwin glanced at his cake and his mouth watered. He had the slight crave for a sweetness and he desired a slice. He knew that it would do splendid in indulging his hunger for sweet. But he was loyal enough to wait until lunch was served—He knew it made her irritated if he ate sweets before any sort of meal.

" Hey grandmother?" he began.

" Yes dear?" She asked.

" When after lunch…" Darwin was about to ask for a slice of his cake, but something more valuable came to mind. It made him pensive for a moment.

" What is it dear?" Rosalind said, looking up from her pan.

"…Can you teach me the song that my parents played when I was a child?" He asked, looking at her eyes. They flashed with joy. A smile grew on her face, and soon they revealed her teeth.

" Why of course."

· · ·

Darwin waited patiently at the piano stool as his grandmother fished through the book she kept that held of the songs she played in her youth. She had her reading glasses equipped and the corners of her lips were sucked In.

" I'm looking for it…but I'm afraid I can hardly see the font. My goodness! Why did I write so small?" She said, shaking her head in disapproval.

" What was the name of the song?" Darwin asked curiously.

" Uh…it's in another language…German…" She said, repositioning her glasses.

" What is it called?" Darwin repeated.

"Liebesträume.." She said, keeping her eyes on her book. "Aha! Here it is." She hooted. She stood up from her chair and placed her book at the music back and patted Darwin on his shoulder, motioning for him that she wanted him to get up. He stood from the stool and she sat down with a straight back. She cleared her throat and scrutinized the paper and it's notes. After a moment, her arms lifted up straight at the piano keys, and she rested her bent fingers tips at them. She began playing, softly at first. Darwin was entranced again. He loved hearing this certain piece. He felt that he had a connection to it, and he loved just how beautiful it sounded. Darwin was surprised at her age she was able to play just as expertly as Carrie did before. Rosalind kept her full concentration divided at the keys of the piano and the notes on her paper. Darwin glanced at the book she was reading from. She taught him about those notes, and he was glad he was able to read and coordinate where the notes were on the piano.

And then after a certain part, she turned the page, still keeping her concentration steady as ever. Her fingers danced on the keys with speed and grace that it made him somewhat excited. The crescendo in the piece always bolstered his love for playing the piano. But when she had accidentally stroked a wrong key, she stopped the music.

"Bah…I'm getting rusty." She said, soon chuckling. She then placed her hands on her lap, and glanced at him. " Was that the piece you want to play?" She asked with a grin. Darwin smiled and nodded.

"Yes…can you please teach me?" He asked with vigor. She grabbed the book that was resting at the music back and placed it at his lap. He looked down and gently touched it.

" You can learn from this…" She said. " I'm going to entrust this to you." She said, straightening her back, redeeming a small sense of pride. Darwin looked at her, somewhat baffled.

" …You're giving this to me?"

" Yes." She replied simply. But then Rosalind smiled. " I gave it to my daughter, and that was how she learned. But after she died, I reclaimed it for safekeeping. So now…it's yours." She said. Darwin couldn't help but stand from his seat and give her a hug. Never before had he an item that was passed down to him. This was heart-warming.

"Thank you, Grandma." He said, happily.

" Your welcome, Darwin." She said with a fragile smile.

· · ·

The sudden blaring school bell finally passed a sense of bliss, once Anais knew school was over. She got up from his seat and waited to leave the classroom, with the students all gathered at the exit. Once in the hallway she met up with Gumball and they both exited out the entrance doors together.

" Did you think it was a little weird Darwin didn't come to school today?" Anais asked, while striding down the stairs with her hand on the rail.

" No…I don't…" Gumball replied laconically. His concise answer reserved her from talking for a while. But she cleared her throat.

" Do you think it has to do with his grandmother—"

" I'm sorry, Anais, but I don't want to talk about it right now…" He said briskly. Anais only nodded compliably in response. Anais then saw at the corner of her eye Penny again, where she remembered what happened between the two last time.

" Hi Gumball." Penny said, waving. Gumball stiffened and glanced over at her.

" Penny…hi...I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore." He inquired.

" Huh? Oh, right…Well that doesn't matter to me anymore. I mean, by now I've already learned your anger is kind of inevitable." She said, giving it an apathetic shrug. " Do you wan to come by my house? It's been a while since we last hung out." She said, smiling.

" Uh…" Gumball paused and glanced at Anais. " I'm walking me sister home…"

" It's alright Gumball." Anais spoke out. " I can walk home by myself." She said, knowing that he desired more to accompany Penny.

" You sure you're going to be alright?" He asked, slightly worried.

" I'll be fine." Anais smiled reassuringly. Gumball watched her for a moment longer than sighed.

" Alright then…If mom get's angry at me, it's not my fault, right?" He asked. Anais chuckled.

" I know." She said. Afterwards, Penny grabbed his hand and they were headed towards her house. Though on the inside, Anais shuddered. After the nightmare from last night, being alone gave her disturbed thoughts. _I need to stop thinking about these_. She contemplated to herself. She sighed and watched the two for a while longer before she resumed heading home. Her dreams were becoming too frequent now. How long would it be before she would crack? Her acting was already stressing her. And the nightmares were always so graphic, but they seemed so true.

In the sunset, it was as if the heat rays from the sun decreased in temperature, where she could walk home without feeling excessively warm. There wasn't a breeze today, but at least it was cool enough for the breeze to be exonerated. Though walking home lonely was always boring. Not having the ability to talk to someone was a little discomforting sometimes. When the house finally came into view, Anais sighed with relief.

She advanced up the driveway and up the porch stairs. Anais fumbled her pockets for the recognizable pattern of her house key. Once it came across her fingers, she lifted it out of her pocket and inserted it into the door knob. Twining the door knob and opening it, she glanced up from her hand and for a split moment, she was caught off guard. There was a stranger sitting with Nicole and Richard at the living room, where they seemed to be having a meeting, conversing in a business like way. Nicole was even dressed up in a grey uniform with a skirt, and as for a Richard, his grey suit. From what Anais observed, they did it to relatively match the stranger's identity. The woman, she noticed was a mouse.

" Oh, Hi Anais." Nicole said tensely. She immediately stood up from the couch, followed by Richard. " I didn't expect you to come home so soon." She said, with an awkward grin. That was a lie. She always came home at around this time. "Where's Gumball?" She asked. Richard straightened his tie around his neck.

" With Penny." Anais answered. Nicole glanced at the woman; obviously not caring much on the subject.

" Oh, sorry, where are my manners?" She said, chuckling slightly. " This is—uh—Mrs. Thompson." She said, introducing the stranger. Mrs. Thompson stood as well, not with as much haste as Nicole, but she smiled and nodded her head.

" I presume you're Anais." She said, holding her purse in front of her waist with both hands. Anais furrowed her eyebrows.

"…How do you know my name?" She asked, more alert. Mrs. Thompson's posture stiffened as if she had done something wrong. Anais glanced over at her mother.

" Why is she here?" She asked, keeping an eye on the woman. She grabbed the door behind her and closed it.

" Anais…" Nicole paused and cleared her throat. She was obviously tense about something. " She's here to…" She stopped and sighed. Mrs. Thompson looked over at Nicole with slight reluctance.

" We've consulted a psychologist…Anais…for you." Richard finished the sentence.

For a minimum of 1 minute, from what Anais felt had passed, nobody spoke. But Anais huffed finally, breaking the bleak silence that fell upon them.

" For…for me? Why did you get a psychologist…for me?" Anais asked. She was in disbelief. Nicole began to scratch the back of her head.

" Richard told me about your nightmares…and how much they _disturbed_ you, for the lack of a better word…So I thought that—"

" I needed…_mental… __**help**_?" Anais asked, emphasis on help. She sneered, feeling a mix of emotions of anger and sorrow. Nicole watched Anais, and how her emotions morphed so violently. By now, she knew Nicole was concerned. Mrs. Thompson cleared her throat.

" Anais, you may have signs of… much deeper mental interventions…We're afraid that it might need some attention or, in more severe cases, treatment. The emotions that, you're father have spoken—" She said, glancing over at him, and held her hand as if to show he was there "—that you felt from those dreams of drastic fear and sorrow and worry…and the nightmares themselves…Those need some analysis…" She spoke out, trying to make a point. Anais dropped her back pack on the floor with a loud thud from all of her school books and materials.

" So let me get this straight Mom…Dad…" Anais began, tightening her fists. The tears swelled her eyes. " You think…for the lack of better words…you think that there's something _wrong _with me?" She said, her voice somewhat cracking.

" Anais, no, please, don't take this the wrong way—"

" Oh, You don't need to worry about _that_, mother!" She exclaimed. " I'm taking it the way that you _proposed_ it to be." water trickled down her face. Anais was tired of all of this. The way people looked at her if she told her the nightmares she had. The look of concern as if it wasn't normal. Worst of all, she was tired of the thought that her parents got, _There is something wrong with that child._ It was displayed blatantly on their faces. And that damn psychologist was the worst of all people to be here currently.

" Anais…We're doing this because we are worried and that we care for you…" Richard said gently. " We don't know if your nightmares might impact your future life." he said. Anais placed her hand on her brow, covering her eyes as she sobbed quietly.

" There's nothing wrong with me…There's nothing…wrong…" Anais muttered.

" Anais." Mrs. Thompson began.

" Don't you even talk to me!" Anais snapped, removing her hand from her face. Mrs. Thompson jumped, and didn't carry on any further. Anais gritted her teeth. And impetuous from her emotions, it began to cloud her rationale. Overwhelmed with her feelings, She opened the door violently and ran away from the house, where she was headed she didn't know, Nor did she care.

"Anais!" They all called her name. But she disregarded them completely. She kept on running, The only thing that was her goal presently was getting away from _them_. _There is nothing wrong with me….__**nothing**_…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay. I didn't have the enthusiasm and the will to write for a few days, so this might be a little boring and short. Also, Fanfiction wasn't working for a while for me, so that also adds to the delay... :/**

Anais didn't carry any money with her, so the option of taking the bus was no longer considered. For miles, she walked and it began to hurt her muscles; not just her feet. But not even the unrelenting pain hadn't a chance to compare to the despair she felt. The betrayal from her own parents. _Consulting a fucking psychologist_. Anais thought to herself. In the corner of her mind, she was griping at herself for the cursing and disobeying behavior. But Anais tuned it out by her emotions which still resided within her.

She collapsed at a bench, finally the pain was immense enough to bring her out of the depths of her mind. Her attempt at going to Cecilia's wasn't illogical, but _walking_ there was the most regretful thing to do. Anais exhaled sharply through her gritted teeth as she massaged her cramping legs.

" Dammit." She cursed. But even in her anger towards her parents, the curse words still felt eccentric on her tongue. Having to rub in a circular motion, maintaining the amount of force had began to loosen her tightening muscles, but after the act of walking at least 12 miles non stop would require more effort. Anais stopped rubbing her forelegs, knowing that would have to do for a while. She sighed and settled her head on the back rest.

"At least I'm close." She said to herself. She had arrived at the bus stop, when usually her trip would end whenever she did attend the bus.

" Anais?" a voice spoke, causing her to jump. Luis stopped in front of her, wondering what she was doing at the bus stop.

" Hi…" Anais said indifferently.

" Were you here to see Cecilia?" He asked, knowing it was a norm for her to stop by their house for her. At first he had an air of disinterest of the subject, but he began to seem more concerned.

" Your eyes are red…were you crying?" He asked.

" I'm fine, Luis." she said, swabbing her eyes with the side of her finger for any remaining water. Luis sat down beside her, a little concerned by the fact Anais seemed happy for the last few months until now.

" Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" He asked curiously.

" I…I want to… but—"

" I'm still your friend…You can tell me anything. If you don't want me to, I won't tell anyone else." he said, leaning forward.

" Are you going to think differently about me?" She asked, triggering back the memory of her parents, causing a sneer on her face.

"…What?"

" Are you going…to think _differently_ about me?" She repeated, more irritated. Luis remained silent for a moment, confused on what she was trying to infer.

"…No, I'm not." He confided. Anais couldn't help but scoff. She knew it was inexorable for people to change their minds about the way they saw a person, if she had told the about the dreams she'd been having. But she found it amusing Luis had the confidence to say his wouldn't.

" My parents consulted a psychologist…for me." Anais said pensively.

" They—they did? Why?" He said, bewildered. _Here it comes_… Anais thought.

"…I've been having nightmares…" She began. Luis lingered on her subject for a moment. " That's not anything to consult—"

"—That were about suicide." Anais finished, keeping her eyes set at the road. She felt embarrassed to tell another person about this, knowing what their reaction would be. Only becoming more sad by his silence, she covered her face with her palms, sighing depressingly.

" Is that it?…Well, Anais…I don't think differently about you." He said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

" I bet."

" I'm not kidding.." he said earnestly. Anais lifted her head from and looked into his eyes.

" Why would you be any different?"

" I didn't say I was…But also because I've had dreams like that as well." He said, scratching his scalp. " I'm not _demented _or anything, it happens to people sometimes in times of pressure or excessive depression…" He said, sighing. " I'm not an expert. But those _could_ be reasons." Luis said, chuckling afterwards.

" you had dreams like…_that_ as well?" She said, incredulous but wanting to believe it.

" I did…But not anymore…" He said passively. For once, Anais knew he was telling the truth. He didn't give her those traumatized looks, but he was even saying he had similar dreams. It was also hard to believe he was more open-minded than her parents. She rested her head on his shoulder, afraid she might start crying again.

" You were the only one to understand…nobody else." Anais whimpered. Luis stiffened his posture, slightly nervous of what currently happened. He wanted to acknowledge this, or showed he at least cared, but not in a way too excessive.

" You want to go to my house now?" he asked quickly. She sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying to regain her composure.

" Okay…let's go." She agreed. He stood up from the bench. And a moment later, held out his hand. He tried to manage a smile, but it was slightly shy and discreet. Anais smiled and took his hand, helping her off the bench.

" Thanks." Anais added. He nodded slightly.

" Your welcome." Luis replied.

· · ·

"What? When did this happen?" Evangeline asked worriedly. " Why did he punch you?"

" It was because I wanted to stay the night at Rosalind's." Darwin said passively. Though he felt his nose again, having the urge to touch once she brought up the subject.

" Who is Rosalind?" She asked.

" My grandmother."

" Grandmother?!" She exclaimed. " Oh right, Rosalind, I knew her!" She said, covering her brow with her hand, as if it was a dumb mistake to forget.

" So I'm going to be staying with her now—"

" Wait, what? You're separated from you family again? Why didn't you tell me this?" She wined " Or at least let me know of it sooner…"

" I'm sorry, I just…I didn't want to tell anyone until I felt better to talk about it." Darwin shrugged.

" Why, deary, talking about it would make you feel better—getting the subject off of your shoulders sooner would be better." Evangeline sighed with disappointment, partly because she didn't figure this out until now.

" I'm sorry, Eva." Darwin said. That was her nickname, One that she would tolerate enough to have.

" No, dear, it's quite alright." Evangeline said disheartened. She scratched the back of her head, trying to preoccupy herself and appear alright, to mask her emotions.

" Mom?" Carrie called.

" Yes deary?"

" Is it alright If I spend the night at Darwin's grandmother's house?" She asked, phasing her finger through the vase that abided in the living room, with the intent of poking at it. She seemed entirely uninterested in the subject which Darwin and Evangeline were talking about.

" Honey, we also need Rosalind's permission." Evangeline sighed, placing her fingers at her brow. " Why do you _want_ to?" She asked skeptically. " You never wanted to _spend the night _before."

" Well Darwin is my best friend. And also he's going through some time of trouble again, and so I just thought I could…I dunno, help him." Carrie shrugged apathetically. Though by her promising statement, Darwin was somewhat baffled by her behavior as well.

" Spending the night is going to _help_ me?" Darwin asked muddled. Carrie frowned at his question.

" Well, If you're don't want me to, then just _say_ it." She said irritated. She began to phase her finger through the vase with more force, as if she was wanting to tip it over to shatter.

" It's not that I don't want you to, it's just that it's a little weird." Darwin said, half smiling.

" Well than if your _uncomfortable_ about it, than _forget_ I ever said anything." She growled. Afterwards, she shot off the couch and soared up the stairs, leaving a gust of air that bristled the living room. For a few moments, Evangeline kept her eyes on the door of her daughter's room.

" I'm sorry about that, Darwin, She's been really upset lately…" She said, sighing. She seemed to be worried about her, but Darwin got the feeling that she knew what was wrong, but couldn't help.

" What's the problem?" He asked curiously. She kept her eyes on the door, purposely but reluctantly ignoring his question. The subject undoubtedly made her uncomfortable to talk about.

Darwin lifted his wrist and read his watch.

" Oh sorry, Eva, I have to go now." He said, standing from the chair.

" No, it's fine Darwin, Just make sure to check in with us every once in a while, okay deary? You know I get worried." She said, as if she was his surrogate mother. Darwin nodded with a small smile.

" I know. Good bye." He twisted the door knob and opened the door, ready to leave.

" Good bye, Darwin." She replied.

· · ·

Anais had no intention of going back home, not after what they did. At least for a day.

" Do you want me to call them?" Cecilia asked across the hallway. " You should notify them, you know."

" I know…But…I don't think they should know." Anais said earnestly.

" Don't you think they might get worried?" Cecilia asked, trying to walk within the limit of the wired telephone. She tiptoed, peeking over the edge of the wall, trying to catch a glimpse at her friend. Anais scoffed.

" They're already worried that I'm a freak. Let them worry that I'm lost." She said, keeping her arms crossed at her chest.

" They don't think that about you, Anais." Cecilia sighed. She was getting a little tired of her behavior. " They were just talking precautions." She tried to explain.

" Precautions of my abnormality." Anais remarked.

" Anais, they're you parents. They aren't going to think of you as a freak, if they never did before. They love you and you know that." Cecilia said, disgruntled. After a few moments of silence, She sighed.

" If you don't want to speak to them, I understand. I'll do it, okay?" She said, trying to lighten the mood. Accepting the non-responsive behavior as a yes, she returned back to the receiver and dialed up their house number.

Anais tuned out Cecilia's chat on the phone, concentrating on the thoughts of her mind. She knew herself that her annoyed behavior was a little overkill. But she still was upset they consulted a psychologist. One thing lead to another, which was something She regretted doing most; telling Gumball about her nightmare. He did mean well, but sometimes it was just best if he just did nothing at all to try and help. One thing she felt guilty already was that she was going to tell him what their parents had done, which would only make him feel bad.

Anais sighed, and messaged her brow. Thinking about Gumball, for a reason, triggered back the horrid image of her past and most recent nightmare. Anais began to press harder on her temples. _Get out of my head._ She thought to herself, as if to force it's way out of her memory.

" Are you alright?" Luis asked. She jumped, forgetting that he was sitting in the living room with her. She exhaled through her nostrils and relaxed her hands by her sides.

" It's… my nightmare." she said, unwilling to lie. Luis nodded, and held his hands together.

" Is there anything…" He paused and bit his lower lip. "…I can do to help?" He asked curiously. Anais smiled with amusement.

" There's nothing you can do to stop a nightmare, Luis." She said, chuckling a bit from the question he asked. He nodded slowly and cleared his throat. Her reply made him a little embarrassed. " but thanks for offering." She said, then closed her eyes and rested her head on the arm rest. It was ironic how Anais was planning on staying awake for the night, becoming uneager and fearful of her nightmares, but she felt the undeniable presence of exhaustion and drowsiness.

" Your welcome." he replied. No longer focusing on ignoring Cecilia's voice, Anais could over hear what she was talking about. The conversation seemed to be rather long.

" I…yes, I know that. But…yeah…I tried to get her to talk, but she just doesn't want to…I think she's still upset….I don't think she'll want to…I…well, I guess I could try…But I'm not sure if she'll really want to talk…Hold on a sec. Anais!" Cecilia called from the hallway. She had an inward sigh. _Great_. Anais thought.

She aversely sat up from the couch and walked towards Cecilia.

" Here." She held out the phone. Anais watched it for a few seconds, before sighing and taking the phone to her ear.

" Hello?" she said half-heartedly.

" Anais, I just want to talk real quick, okay honey?" Nicole said, her voice terse of distress. Though hearing the sound of her slightly made her ear twitched.

" What is it you want to talk about?" She asked, leaning against the wall.

" Anais, I want to apologize. I'm sorry we made you so upset, I didn't know you would react this way, I…We were just worried, honey. I..I was afraid of what could happen. I don't think you're a freak, honey, please don't think that." Nicole's pleads almost seemed to suggest 'come back home.' " Secondly, Anais, We…want you to see Ms. Thompson Wednesday afternoon, okay? That way you have more time to cool off before seeing her again." She hesitantly brought up the subject; knowing it would aggravate Anais. " And Anais…We love you, okay? We just want to help." She said, this time her voice slightly broke.

Anais could only listen to her. It wasn't out of her anger. It was more of pitying her parents. Under all of the stress of all of their kids. Not just Darwin. How much they have to go through to try and manage a falling family. What Anais was doing was only adding to their stress. And knowing this, Anais felt sorry for them. In sequence, she couldn't help but feel like she had the feeling of _indignation_. Her sweaty grip began to weaken the tight clutch Anais gave the phone in her hands. She was afraid to speak for a moment.

" Anais?…Are you still there?" Nicole asked, sniffling.

" I'm sorry mom…That I made you cry…but…I was still wanting to spend the night." Anais said, sighing. " I'll be back tomorrow…" She rubbed the back of her head.

"…Okay honey…I…I understand.." Nicole said, taking a deep breath afterwards. " Good bye."

"Bye." Anais replied. After a few moments of regret, she replaced the phone to it's receiver, scrutinizing it very pensively. Sub-consciously, she was waiting for it to ring. She was waiting for it to ring, so she could finally disclose how sorry she felt to her parents, about her unprecedented behavior. Though she knew herself it was of no prevail. Anais walked back to the living room, silently quarreling herself in her mind of how stupid she was to yell at her parents, and her childish behavior. She knew that they were only worried, yet she would only cloud that truth with the assumption everyone thinks she's a freak.

" Anais? Are you okay?" Luis called, watching her pause on her way to the living room. She slightly jumped from his voice.

" Oh…yes…yeah, I'm fine." She said austerely. Anais sat down by Cecilia and rested her head on the arm rest again. Her quirk of emotions and actions left Luis and Cecilia impinged to talk, seemingly worried but not exactly sure on how to help. Anais knew that she would remain quiet for the rest of the night.

· · ·

After visiting Penny's house, they came to an agreement to watch a movie, with not much options to do anything else. At this point, Gumball was becoming tired and bored to the point his eye lids were lying heavily against his eyes, threatening to slip down and take him away into slumber. The movie itself was interesting, it was just Gumball couldn't keep a level head from it. Penny paused the movie, after noticing Gumball wasn't watching it. She waved her hand slowly in front of his eyes, seeing if his mind could react to the environment around that he saw.

" Gumball…_Gumball_…" Penny called, watching his eyelids flutter. " Gumball!" She boomed, startling him from his drowsy state. Her voice seemed to almost work as a tonic to him.

"…What—is the movie over?" Gumball asked with a slurred speech.

" No…it's barely in the middle." She said, keeping an eye on him in case if he were to slip near sleeping again. Gumball yawned, trying to regain his cognizance.

" What time is it?" He asked, rubbing his irritated eyes. Penny sighed, and shifted through her pockets. Bringing out her cell phone, she unlocked it with the designated pattern of connecting the dots.

" Around…6:45..." She said, reading off the big bold letters on the top of her screen. " What time do you have to go home?" She asked, glancing over at him.

"…I dunno…I guess…8:00..." He shrugged apathetically. Penny lifted an eyebrow.

" You _guess_?" She said dubiously. After a few moments, she scoffed. " Whatever. If you get in trouble, it's not my fault." She said.

Before long, Penny continued the movie; with the lack of energy, Gumball wouldn't be surprised if he'd fallen asleep again. He sighed, pestered slightly at how tired he was. With no other alternatives, he watched the movie, knowing himself he wouldn't stay awake.

Gumball becoming dormant was impending, but it put Penny in the awkward place once he had leaned over and rested against her shoulder. Trying to disregard the stirred feeling of affection, she continued watching the movie in an attempt to diverge her mind from what occurred. With exasperation, the movie had ended earlier than she expected it to, bringing back to what was at hand.

Penny cleared her throat, trying to calm the excited nerves stampeding in her body. Before long, she found herself slightly enjoying his presence, as well as the accompanying guiltiness of herself. Glancing over at him, she sustained the urge of waking him up. _What the hell am I doing? _She thought to herself, placing a hand on her brow with embarrassment. She sighed, and without a moment later she looked back at him. Penny then remembered what she had said before._ I would rather love you as a brother than a boyfriend._ Right now, She wished she could prove that, and upend in this with the most intelligible acts of waking him up and forgetting this ever happened. But for a reason she knew in the back of her head, she couldn't. Deciding whether or not to embrace this or neglect it.

Without contemplating about it, Penny gently placed her hand at his head, and stroked his hair. For a while, she remained in that pose, fingering his hair and trying to reason with herself what she was doing was harmless. But with her self-conscious, she upended and forced herself to stop, and take in the shame of what she had just done. She tightened her hands into fists, and rested them on her lap. She lowered her head and closed her eyes tightly, trying to forget what she did.

" Gumball." She choked out. He stirred in his sleep, and moaned quietly. He moved his head towards her lap, but before he could rest it, she pulled away fro him and shouted. "GUMBALL!" He immediately jumped, startling awake.

" Whoa, okay, okay…I'm awake." He said, glancing over at her flushed face. Gumball sat up slowly."…Did I make you angry?" he asked, shifting in his seat. Ashamed of herself, all she could manage was a shake her head in a negative response.

" What's wrong?" Gumball asked, a little concerned.

" Nothing." She replied quickly. Suffering a moment of silence, filled of nothing but regret, Gumball ran his fingers through his hair.

"…You know…I…" he began nervously. "…I felt you…feeling my hair when I was asleep." He said, trying not to stress her out. "..It's alright, I mean…you don't have to be embarrassed." Gumball said, but couldn't help but feel the blood rush to his face. "…It's okay. I'm afraid to…like you too." Gumball glanced over at her, where she had her back turned to him. To try and show that he didn't mind her actions, he swiftly shifted closer to her and rested his hand on hers. She stiffened her posture, surprised at what he was doing. But remained undeterred, by this she knew he was trying to comfort her.

"…I think you should go now…" Penny spoke out. Gumball remained silent for a while. Before responding, he sighed through his nostrils.

" Alright…" He replied quietly.

After putting his shoes back on, and retrieving is materials and his backpack, he exited the entertainment room and stopped at the living room door.

" Good bye." Penny said. She avoided eye contact, waiting behind him so she could close the door when he left. Before he did though, he paused. Having a moment of courage, he turned back and gave Penny a quick hug. But in fact, it took longer than he thought it would, soon she was holding him as well.

" Good bye." he said, slightly rubbing her back.

Leaving her house actually, he felt the mingled emotions of passion and guilt. He couldn't help feel it was wrong to like her. Mainly for the reason he knew her almost all his life, but that was also the reason why he felt he loved her. Also, remembering how she even stroked his hair had bolstered up his adrenaline. _Was it such a bad thing to like her?_ He though to himself. _Depends on how you look at it. If you want her as your girl friend, then by all means, go ahead. If you want to limit yourself as a brotherly and sisterly relationship, then yes, it's a very bad thing_. His self-conscious spoke. So limited to two options, he decided that he should choose later on, to see what Penny would agree on as well.

· · ·

"Darwin?" Rosalind called gently. " Darwin…c'mon, wake up." She shook him in a soft motion. Darwin opened his eyes and for a moment, He forgot what happened before.

" You feel asleep." She said, smiling. He blinked his eyes, slightly feeling strained from the light. He sat up from the bed that sank from his weight.

" You came back from Carrie's house and then you just…fell asleep." Rosalind remarked, chuckling slightly. He nodded, showing that he acknowledged her.

" Carrie called…Said that she was asking to spend the night; I just got off the phone." Rosalind said, standing up from the bed. Darwin glanced over at her.

" She did?"

" Yes. I said that it would be alright…" She began to wipe her dark velvet gown from dust. " She should be here in a few minutes." Rosalind smiled and left the room. Darwin then got ready, changing into cleaner clothing that wasn't drooled on.

After washing his face and fixing up his bedroom, he was primping in the mirror for any minor faults in his clothing or face. Afterwards He exited into the living room, where he paused seeing Rosalind. She was standing, watching a family picture of her when she was younger, and a young girl, presumably Agnes as a child. She watched it pensively and slightly sorrowful.

"Child…You never had the chance to see you mother or father…did you?" She called, noticing him watching her. Darwin straightened his back and cleared his throat.

"…I…I have, actually." Darwin admitted. By this reply, she turned to him, bewildered. Her eyebrows furrowed, mostly with suspicion and shock.

" How? I was told you were just a baby when your parents died." She said, walking closer to him. Darwin began to feel sweat gather at his brow.

" I…I saw them as…as ghosts." Darwin swallowed the lump in his throat. This caused her shoulders to drop; her interest and concerned had seemingly dropped as well.

" _Ghosts_." She emphasized. Darwin nodded nervously.

" Carrie…Since she's a ghost, she was able to call them from their grave." Darwin said. " It was their spirits, and it was actually them. With the memories and emotions…It was as if they were alive." Darwin began to dwell back in the past, remembering when he first met them. It brought tears to his eyes, but Rosalind became almost happy.

" Carrie? She can contact them?" She asked, trying to assure what she heard was right.

" Yes…She was able to talk to them…and so was I—" immediately, Rosalind marched to the closet in the living room and slipped her arms through her jacket.

" Grandma?" Darwin called.

" Darwin! This is perfect! I can see my daughter again! Alas, after 26 years, I can see her and my son-in-law!" She exclaimed ecstatic. A large smile grew on her face; Inside Darwin, he was petrified, knowing he would have to tell her the truth. It brought a cold chill in his spine, this one rather deathly to the point it made his knees shake from fear of her reaction.

" Grandma, wait!" He called, but she put on her hat and headed outside, non-intentionally ignoring him through her excitement.

" Look! There is you friend already!" She remarked, seeing Carrie casually flowing over to their direction with a confused face.

" What's going on?" She asked.

" Grandma wait, please!" Darwin called again. Rosalind finally turned to him, with a confused but eager face.

" What is it?" She said. Darwin held his tongue for a few moments. Seeing her face so filled with happiness for the first time in her life; he was deeply going to regret this.

" Grandma…You can't…you won't be able to see them." Darwin began. This made Rosalind's eyebrows furrow.

" What?"

"…You won't be able to see them…not anymore." Darwin said solemnly.

" Why is that?" She asked, having her full attention on him now. Along with Carrie's he felt embarrassed and guilty for being in the position.

" For some people…You can only call them to the living once…And one time only…" Darwin explained, trying his best to repress his tears. " And…For my parents, it was like that for them…I was only able to see them one time…And so now.." He paused. His heart rate elevated when he saw her turn her back on him. "…They can no longer appear back here…not anymore." Darwin lowered his head, and tightened his fists._ Damn me…Damn me to hell._ He gritted his teeth. "...So I won't be able to...see them." Rosalind said, with a deep breath. Darwin shook his head, even though he knew she wasn't facing him.

"No." he replied. After a while, Rosalind's sniffling became more frequent, and she was slightly shaking.

" Rosalind?" Carrie called quietly. She sniffled and turned back to them, her eyes filled with water.

" I'm alright child…" She said, with the tears sliding down her face. Her lower lip trembled; the sight of an elder's sorrow could break anyone down. " I…I was so happy…to hear that I could…see my child's face again." She said, her voice shaking. "…But…I was a fool to believe it…" She said. Darwin lifted his head, surprised she had said that. " I'm alright child…I'm alright." She repeated, barely above a whisper now. Rosalind began her way, leisurely walking back to the house, sobbing quietly from her the hysteria that morphed so drastically from ecstasy to depression. For the first time, she believed she would be able to see her daughter again. But to find out that even after the prolonged years of her absence, She knew she was never going to see her. Ever. Darwin knew he was the unintentional cause of this, but with the guilt weighing at his shoulders. It depleted the courage to walk up to her and apologize, and to show how much he cared. All he could do was watch her, slowly walking back to the house, sobbing. It was a devastating anticlimax. _I'm so sorry Rosalind…I'm sorry._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 **

**Sorry, this chapter is a little shorter than the others...**

Darwin was already getting ready by the time his alarm clock had sounded off. He ran over to his room and turned it off as quickly as he could; he didn't want to disturb his grandmother. She was still asleep, after a night like last night, Darwin wanted to let her rest and sleep in. Which also meant he knew the consequences of walking to school.

" You ready?" Darwin asked, looking in the mirror attentively while straightening his polo collar. Carrie was brushing her ghost like 'hair' with a comb, running down her bangs carefully.

" Yeah…Just need a few more touches…and—yeah! Ready." She said dropping the comb on the counter top of the bathroom. Darwin exited the room and pulled his backpack with the shoulder strap and slid it onto his back, where it slightly pulled him back from the weight. And with the startlingly sound of thunder, Darwin jumped, and looked at the window. He heard the slight drums of rain.

Glancing over at Carrie, who's eyes were slightly widened, they both had the same look of exasperation. Darwin then dropped his backpack on the couch and looked into the closet and fished through it for his jacket. He pulled out his black hoodie and handed an umbrella to Carrie. She watched it with suspicion for a moment.

" What is your grandma going to use?" She asked, slightly worried.

" There's another umbrella." Darwin said, looking back into the closet. Sighing with unsure trust, she took the umbrella and they left the house.

" I hate the rain." Carrie remarked with disgust. Darwin smirked.

" Is it because you stink whenever you go in it?" He asked, though he knew the answer to it. She nodded with discountenance.

" Well I love it." He said, looking up into the sky.

" That's because you're a fish. Of course you're going to love it." She said, shaking her head with a scoff. With a smile, Darwin thought about what she said for a while. The words _Pet fish_ rung in his mind for a reason. With a slight air of disappointment, he remembered the Wattersons. Their name brought a feeling of displeasure in saying it, or even thinking about it. And with an inward groan, he remembered he was going to see Gumball today in school.

"Greeat." Darwin drawled.

"What?"

" Gumball…he's going to be at school today." He said, disliking the thought completely.

" Oh." Carrie said, with slight apathy. By this, Darwin knew this day he wasn't going to enjoy.

· · ·

Darwin was relieved to see a small crowd already assembling in the front of the entrance; assuring him that there were more kids in the school already. With a large crowd, Darwin could merge in sink within the safety of ensconcing himself within the boundaries of the large groups of people. He could slightly hear the slight murmuring over the rain, but they were too obstructed to define what they were talking about.

" C'mon." Darwin said, speeding up his walking rate.

"What? Why are you so eager to go to _school_?" Carrie asked irritated.

" I'm not _eager_, I'm trying to _conceal_ myself." Darwin said, taking a surreptitious glance behind him, worried now that his voice could be heard if they were near by. Then Carrie gasped, followed by a long executed 'oh' as if she finally knew what he was talking about.

" You're trying to hide from Gumball." She said. Carrie nodded her head. " That makes sense." She said with a slight smirk.

Darwin pushed open the entrance doors, and loud indistinct voices spilled out into the quiet outside, surprising his ear drums. As he anticipated, there was a lot of students already at school. They began to ingress their way into the wave of students, Carrie phased through all of the students, a much easier attempt to route her way to her locker. Darwin sighed. _Lucky…_he thought to himself.

Darwin sat restless in his seat, a little nervous about the concept of meeting up with his…_brother and sister_. There was no other title to give them. Repeatedly tapping his finger on the corner of his desk, the class gradually began to occupy more students. Darwin put his head down as he saw the familiar glimpse of blue fur accompanied by pink.

"You really don't want to see them." Carrie remarked.

" Of course I don't….Why would I want to?" He asked, though it was only half true. Carrie shrugged, indifferent whether Darwin saw it or not.

" Hey, Darwin!" Anais called over the chatter in the classroom.

" Ugh…" He groaned.

" She's coming over here…" Carrie said in a sing song tone, taunting Darwin.

" Shut up, Carrie." Darwin mumbled. Though she found it rather amusing, laughing quietly to herself.

"Alright kids! I need everyone to take a seat NOW!" Ms. Simian screeched. The murmur died down instantly, into where there was nothing but the sounds of people's shoes pressing against the floors and the slight groan of desk chair legs. Darwin looked up from his desk and was slightly relieved Anais returned back to her seat.

" Okay. We're going to resume our learning from yesterday, from our Math books. Open your books to page 113 and start on the problems you left off from!" She said sternly; Her ghastly voice always left a ring in Darwin's ears, even if she wasn't exactly yelling. With the discharge of sighs and mutterings, every one fished their back packs for the thick familiar Math books that every one shared. Darwin looked around confused. A few moments later he remembered the reason why.

" Uh…Ms. Simian?" Darwin called, raising his hand. Garnering the attention of the class, He took a deep breath. Partly from the fact they were most likely curious about the bandage plastered on his nose, as well as the obscure misshapen nose bridge they could see.

" Yes Darwin?" She inquired with an air of disinterest.

" I was absent yesterday. What are we doing?" He asked. She sat down on her desk, sipping her cup of coffee. She sighed and placed it down beside her hip and looked at him with annoyance.

" We're studying math in our chapter books, Darwin. Start in Page 113 and on problem 25, all the way through 35." She said, crossing her arms. Gumball raised his hand, which made Darwin's heart jolt from the sudden pang of fear.

" Can I—"

" Can I help Darwin?" Carrie soon raised her hand as well. A furtive murmur spread around the class. Ms. Simian eyed the two suspiciously. Then as if she disregarded it, she grabbed her mug and casually sipped out of it again. Afterwards sighing.

" I don't care— you both can work with him." She shrugged.

" Hey, why is he so special? Can't we work in groups too?" a voice shouted out, it sounded familiar but who it belonged to remained unknown to Darwin. Ms. Simian's head dropped low and then she shouted.

" I don't care! Only for a day! Geez, I don't get paid enough for this!" She said, returning to her seat. Then everybody started moving again, approaching their friends and partners. The sight of Gumball standing up and glancing behind him at Darwin was more than annoying and disturbing.

" Ugh." Darwin sighed.

" Well…We could try and ignore him." Carrie suggested.

" That would be mature." Darwin said, rubbing the back of his head. Though he slightly liked the sound of it. Carrie sighed with exasperation. " I'll have to talk to him." Darwin said, with a sigh.

Gumball sat down at the empty desk beside him, opposite of Carrie, and turned towards him.

" Darwin can we talk?" He asked. Darwin kept his back towards him.

" About what—"

" Darwin, you know what! Can you just please…" Gumball paused for a moment, afterwards relieving a sigh. " I'm sorry. I really am, I didn't mean to—

" Didn't mean to punch me?" Darwin asked, turning to him finally. " Okay then, explain how you 'didn't mean to'."

" Darwin…I was just angry, please, I'm sorry. I really am." Gumball looked up at him. For once, Darwin saw the sort of remorse Gumball never had when he apologized.

" Looks like someone has temper tantrums." Carrie remarked. With a spark of rage, Gumball turned his attention to her.

" Hey, nobody is talking to you! Why don't you phase away like you always do you emo freak?" He insulted. _Ah, crap_. Darwin thought, after seeing people glancing over at their direction, thankfully not the teacher, not yet.

" Is baby going to have another tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants?" Carrie sneered.

" Ah, no, Carrie? Don't start this—" Darwin tried to finish, but was interrupted.

" At least I don't mourn over myself because I'm dead! You're just a pitiful, angsty spirit who wants nothing but attention." Gumball stood up.

Darwin moved out of the way, as they both began to approach each other.

" At least I don't sulk around just because I'm feeling 'oh so guilty over the brother I punched by accident, out of the anger problems I can't control'!" Carrie retorted, referring to Gumball's behavior. Darwin was slightly surprised she was almost as tall as him.

" Like you know anything!

"Guys, C'mon really? Stop this already!" Darwin exclaimed, but he was ignored.

" I know enough to the point that you considered your BEST FRIEND and BROTER a pet! How much of a lowlife do you have to be to be so disgusting?" Carrie exclaimed. Darwin could tell by now everyone's attention was stolen by the argument; he wouldn't be surprised if Ms. Simian was looking. His body temperature almost felt as if it increased, causing him to sweat from anxiety.

" I'm a lowlife? Who's the one that has _dead_ parents? Who's the one that's desperate enough to change your appearance to try and 'fit in'? That show's your self-esteem." Gumball insulted. By this, Carrie didn't say anything, only looked into his eyes. "And it also explains how pathetic you are, considering the only friend you have is _one_. And it's also why. Nobody. Likes. _You_."

A bleak silence fell upon the room. The rain that pattered against the window was the only thing audible. But Darwin was in amazement that how Gumball had the gall to insult his best friend, the only one who was kind to him. Carrie's emotions had changed dramatically.

She phased out of the room to conceal the fact she was on the verge of tears. And Darwin shook his head.

" Thanks Gumball. My _only_ and best friend, you decided to insult and embarrass her in front of the class. That shows how important your apology means to me now." Darwin said, shaking his head. Gumball glanced at him, and Darwin turned away. He was tired of looking at him. After all the times, he always wanted _forgiveness_. As if he would expect to get chances and chances after another after every mistake he made.

"I'm getting a Dean down here." Ms. Simian sighed, and lifted the black phone off of the receiver and began tapping the numbers. Darwin walked out of the room careless whether Gumball or Anais wanted to talk to him. Right now, his friend was more important.

· · ·

After school ended, Anais tried to comfort Gumball, but he avoided talking to anybody. She knew that he felt guilty for doing it. She was a little angry. Perhaps more than just a little, But she still wanted to help him.

Anais walked down the stairs with leisure, a little apprehensive once she saw the familiar disposition of the woman, named. Ms. Thompson. A small gradual smile grew on her face.

" Anais. Hi, I came for you're appointment." She said cautiously. Anais kept a earnest face, trying to express she was reluctant on seeing her.

" I know." She said with a sigh.

" Anais." Gumball called quietly fro the distance. She turned and saw his expression, and it short a nervous wave through her body. He approached the two with a look of confusion and worry. " Who's this?" He asked shakily, still sad from the event. Anais looked into his eyes and knew her answer would only cause him more pain.

"…She's my…psychologist…" Anais said hesitantly. She managed a nervous grin, to try and lighten the mood. But Gumball's eyebrows contorted, in the way that he was grieving.

" I'll wait in the car." Ms. Thompson announced, giving them their time.

" Is it my fault?" Gumball asked, barely above a whisper. Anais ended her smile and shook her head slightly.

"…not on purpose." She said, trying to mitigate the guilt that would impact him from her reasoning. Gumball's red eyes suddenly filled with water and he lowered his head.

" I'm sorry…" He whimpered. Anais sighed quietly and scratched the back of her head. The wave of helplessness descended upon her.

" I'm sorry Gumball…I have to go." She said, swallowing hard. She turned away from him slowly, with each step to Ms. Thompson's car, It increased the urge to turn around and embrace him. But she regretfully opened the car door, and set herself inside, She glanced at Gumball, as he was watching her leave, she slowly closed the door, keeping her eyes on him. She hated herself for not trying to help him, and not even saying good bye to him. Suffering every moment of leaving him by himself, she watched him disappear into the distance, regretting every moment of it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

Anais kept her hands locked together, having her thumbs wrestle each other in a very ineffective way to deplete her raising anxiety.

Ms. Thompson had a clipboard, resting upon her lap as she had her pen and scribed the information Anais gave her and recorded it onto her sheet. With the incessant motility of her wrist, Anais was surprised if she made any mistakes at all. Though this thought was just another attempt to try and diverge her mind from her nervousness.

" So Anais." Ms. Thompson began. Looking up from her board, Her eyes always portrayed kindness; though this time it was more earnestness. " I want you to tell me about your dreams." She said with a slight hint of a deeper tone. If she was trying to initiate a seriousness situation, and probably intimidate Anais, it worked. Too efficiently.

Anais licked her dry lips and shifted in the seat she was sitting on, becoming unbearably warm from her presence, despite the cool atmosphere that hung in the room, on virtue of the rain outside.

"…I—"

" Perhaps your more…" Ms. Thompson paused, for a moment she didn't realize but then she knew she interrupted her. With a grin and a slight scoff, she tidied the glasses that sat at her nose bridge.

" My apologies." She said.

" You can continue." Anais said quickly, even managing a quick gesture as well. Ms. Thompson cleared her throat and converged back to the question.

" Perhaps you should tell me your most recent one.." She said, settling the pen in the gap between her thumb and index. Anais nodded and took a deep breath, recalling the minute details of her gruesome dream.

" They're always about suicide…like I said…and this one…" Anais began, rubbing her palms together. " This one was about…me." She said, trying not to let her voice betray her by trembling.

Ms. Thompson gave her a sort of concerned look that sent a chill through out her body.

" From what I recalled…they were mostly about Darwin, no?" She asked, placing the pen at the tip of her bottom lip.

" Yes…and no…they're about everyone….in my family." Anais said, now stroking her leg. Ms. Thompson just nodded her head, but still her remaining look was hard.

" Go on." She said, pensively analyzing Anais' behavior and emotions. She swallowed the lump in her throat and proceeded.

" I…I was yelling at Darwin…" She began. But she closed her eyes, her mind meticulously recorded every thing about it, embedded it into her memory which now replayed like a video tape.

_Anais was crying. Rivers of salty water streamed down her face from the fusion of anger, hate and sorrow. Darwin didn't even have the gall to turn to her, as he was telling her he made his final decision._

" _Look at me!" She exclaimed. " I want you to look at me and say it!" repeating her desire. Darwin turned back, but a look of disgust and sorrow was blatantly displayed._

" _I'm staying with Rosalind…I'm never coming back. I don't want to see your faces anymore…you're no longer part of my life." He said, even with the slight baritone that was in his voice, the impact and the unmitigated intensity caused her to break down into loud sobs, falling to her knees._

" _I hate you! I hate you…" She screamed. And he turned away, disregarding her presence. And he began to slowly walk away, leaving her by herself. And instigated by her emotions, She rose to her feet and shouted._

" _If you leave, I'll kill myself!" She said, hoping this would cause him to re think his answer. But as she didn't expect, he didn't even falter. Not even a slight hint of hesitance; he continued walking at the same, constant pace._

_And with that, Anais suddenly appeared in the kitchen, standing amongst herself in the brightly lit room, the tile floor gleaming from the invading sunlight. where and how she got there was oblivious, but she had only one goal in mind_. _Staying true to her word_. _Impetuously, she walked towards the knife holder, and slid out one of the thinnest of knives, slithering out of the small pocket with a quiet sound of it cutting the wood at a small degree._

Anais opened her eyes again, not wanting to continue any further. It was already obvious enough what she was going to do. Ms. Thompson stroked her thin, mouse like chin. And after a moment of absorbing the information, she sighed.

" These dreams…have they been keeping you up all night?" She asked curiously. Anais nodded slowly.

" Sometimes…I don't even want to go to bed…But I get so tired sometimes." She admitted, covering her eyes with her palms. Ms. Thompson looked back down at her lap. Re-reading her recorded information to assure her answer was at least remotely correct. With a sigh, she pressed the end of her pen, with the clicking sound it retracted the tip inside the shell.

" Anais…I have a conclusion…but I'm not so sure about it myself." She said, looking down at her clipboard with a sort of disappointment. Anais heart began to jolt, unreadily about to hear the information that would forever change her.

" I think you are subconsciously readying yourself." Ms Thompson said. For a moment, she was lost. _What does that mean_? she asked herself, which echoed in to her mind, and yet reverberated no valid or logical response. She lifted her head from her hands, looking at her with a sort or shock.

"Pardon?" Anais said.

" From your behavior, you are a lot smarter than you think you are." She said, placing the clipboard at the coffee table beside her and then using her full attention at Anais. " Your mind is trying to familiarize itself for any sorts of signs and/behavioral patterns. You see, you having those nightmares because you're trying to recognize any sort of outcome that may occur from this." Ms. Thompson relieved herself from her glassess, and looked at her intently.

" You don't know it yourself, but you're self conscious does." She remarked. "Let's say if something were to happen, an event similar to your dreams, you would know how to react to it and probably even _prevent _it."

Anais absorbed the information slowly and thoroughly. The more she began to contemplate this, the more she thought it made a fraction of a bit sense.

" Do you understand?" She asked, furrowing her eyebrows slightly.

"…a little." Anais admitted. Ms. Thompson nodded and cleared her throat.

" Let's elaborate. You said in your dreams, for example your most recent, Darwin was slightly apathetic about your being and no longer caring for you nor your family." She began. " Your mind would be able to recognize that sort of any similar behavior that might emanate from him, therefore, you would be able to know the familiar outcome of this, and then you would try and prevent it from happening." She explained. This time, knowing it made more sense to Anais. Though she shook her head, slightly incredulous.

" Is that even possible?" She asked. Ms. Thompson blinked and thought about it, glancing down at the floor for a moment. Then, she looked back into her eyes, replacing her glasses.

" I never seen anything like it before…" She admitted. "Usually people have these nightmares from mental interventions. Or other cases, like schizophrenia. Or like most, psychotic or homicidal." She sat up, straightening her back. " Then again…I've never seen a 10 year old in a high school, outsmarting everyone older than her…" Ms. Thompson said with a slight scoff of amusement. Anais grinned, trying to acknowledge her joke and make a fraudulent attempt of making it appear funny for herself, which, had no effect. But the smile on Ms. Thompson's face slowly lowered.

" Like I said…" She began with a sigh " You're _smarter_…than you think."

· · ·

Darwin had been searching for Carrie in the school for a while now. To the extent that he was granted permission to roam about even after school hours. But Darwin knew this in the corner of his mind; whenever Carrie wanted to be hidden, she would _remain_ unnoticed until she by whatever reason would come out.

Darwin sat by himself in the cafeteria, where the sunlight tinted the room with a bleak grey, it was still raining outside, not so harsh, but to the point of tiny droplets that felt almost like your skin was impermeable to it; how light it was. He kept his head rested on one palm, where his elbow planted on the table, and his other hand tapping his tips on the table at pattern from his index to his pinky, now getting second thoughts and doubts if she was even here in the school anymore. Without a moment longer, he made his decision and sat up from the table. He checked the time. 6:08. It's been 2 hours since school ended. It was finally about time her went home.

Walking into the cool breeze, Darwin was still a little glad it was raining. It always brought him out of his mind whenever he was pensive and stuck within the boundaries of the troubles in the world, and help himself release his mind to the beauty of the outside, aiding him to forget himself currently.

Darwin walked up the walkway to his Grandmother's house. Feeling the slight feeling of desolation that hung around him. He reached for the doorknob, but it opened abruptly before he could touch it, giving him a sickly surprise.

" Where have you been?" Rosalind asked. Darwin forgot. He didn't call her to ask if he could stay for a while.

" I'm sorry, I was at the school." Darwin said, taking off his hood now under the shelter of the extended roof at her porch.

" Why didn't you call me?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing in the expression of extreme worry. Darwin could hardly speak, feeling the rush of guilt enter into him.

" I…I'm sorry. I… forgot." He said, in a same approach of a whimper. Rosalind sighed and ran her hand through her hair, fixing the unruly loose strands that hung out of her tied back hair. With a sigh she glanced back at him.

" Come in." She said quietly, and moved out of the door frame. Darwin walked in and took off his wet shoes, knowing not to walk around and track wet splotches everywhere on the everyday cleaned carpet. He placed them into the closet and unzipped his hoodie, and tossed it into a basket for their dirty clothes.

" Are you doing okay?" Darwin couldn't help but ask, glancing up from the basket. She turned with a look of confusion.

" What are you talking about?" She asked.

" After last night…" He referred. She gave his notion a flat smirk and shook her head.

" I'm _fine_, dear. You don't need to worry about me." Rosalind said. Darwin had a wave of relief that bringing it up didn't cause any stir of emotions as well. And by that, he took her claim truthfully.

Rosalind pointed at his cake.

" You can go ahead and have a slice. You haven't eaten any of it yet." She said, glancing back at him, knowing that he wanted some. Darwin nodded with a smile.

" Thank you." he said, walking over to the dining room.

" Ohh, dear, it's _your_ cake. Don't thank me for allowing you to have _your_ cake." she said, soon smiling to show she was half serious. She opened on of the drawers and slid out a knife. Returning to the table, she handed it to him.

" I'm sure you know how to use this _responsibly_." She said. " I'm _entrusting_ you with this here knife, you know." She added, with a raise of her eyebrows to signify she trusted him willingly. Darwin looked at her with a confusion. "Use it well." With a straight face that didn't last long, she began laughing at his reaction.

" I'm just kidding, dear." She said, finally passing him the knife, he smiled at her joke. Soon, she entered back into the kitchen and opened the oven door. She slid out their leftovers of quesadillas, which she had made a large quantity, and lightly placed one onto a place she got from the cupboards.

" Also, when you're done with that, have some more quesadillas, alright? We need to finish these." She said. Rosalind paused for a while, and looked back at the batch of food on the pizza pan.

" Actually I'll just warm these up." She said, putting hers back on the pan, and slid them back into the oven. " Vari-broil will do just fine." She said, pressing the flat section on the surface of the oven, and it beeped. " Temperature high." she spoke her thoughts out loud.

" Alrighty…when the timer goes off, which about in 3 minutes or so, can you turn off the oven for me dear? I'm going back into my bedroom." She said, walking eagerly into the hallway.

" Whatcha doing in there?" Darwin asked, glancing away from his cake. A smile turned up on her face.

" Watching one of my favorite shows." She said, soon turning around and proceeded into the hallway.

Darwin lifted a cut section onto his a plate, a large slice which he hopefully assumed Rosalind wouldn't mind. He grabbed a fork and his mouth already watering from the taste. He cut a part off from his slice, ready to relish in the taste, and about to insert into his mouth; the door bell rang. With such inconvenient timing, Darwin sighed and set it down at the plate again. Standing up from his seat, he approached the door.

Opening it, He saw Carrie, still having the umbrella tightly clutched in her hand.

" I'm returning this." Carrie said shakily. Darwin was still in surprise to see her.

" Carrie? Where have you been, I was looking everywhere for you!" He said, sub-consciously taking the umbrella from her hand. " Are you alright?" Darwin asked. With a wavering sigh, she held herself with her arms.

" I'm fine…" She said, soon beginning to evanescent.

" What? Wait—Carrie!" He exclaimed. Within a moment later, she evaporated into the air. Darwin stood still for a moment. He knew that was just her way of turning invisible. He knew this, yet he felt as if she had just died in his face.

"Carrie?" He called. With nothing but the rain slightly pattering the environment and the occasional lightening and thunder, She was gone. Darwin sighed, on the verge of closing the door, until he felt awkward. Physically awkward, having the feeling something wrapped around him. He thought came into mind that he was being embraced by Carrie, whom was still invisible. With the thought in mind, he wrapped his arms, testing his theory out. And as expected, his arms stopped at her back.

" See ya later." She said quietly to his ear. Feeling slightly nervous, he responded.

" See you." He said, and soon the feeling was gone, having the next feel of wind gust into his body as she seemingly flew away.

· · ·

Gumball did it again. Pissed everyone off, not just his family this time, but probably even the school. He couldn't help but feel so annoyed at himself. Pestered at his own being.

He kept himself into the living room, remaining on the couch in pensive thought. The TV was on and blaring out all kinds of messages, but he didn't pay any heed to it.

" Gumball." A voice called behind him. With a quick glance, he remained slightly stiff from his mother. She walked slowly to the couch and sat beside him.

" I heard about what happened." She said, crossing her arms, partly from the cold that hung around them. Gumball sighed in disappointment.

" Am I in trouble…" He asked, slightly knowing the answer already. Though one thing surprised him, she moved closer and gave him a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck.

" I'm sorry your days have been bad lately. And I wish I knew how to help…But I don't know what to do." She said, taking a deep breath. " I know the feeling you have. Frustration, anger…distress." Nicole sighed. Finally releasing him, she looked into his eyes. Which helped nothing but stir a feeling of emotions. Tears began to well in his eyes, for reason unknown to him.

" Mom?" he began.

" Yes?"

"…I…I'm sorry for…being such an idiot…sometimes." Gumball lowered his head. "…I know I disappoint you sometimes…But I can't control my anger…" His voice began to tremble. " I…I need help…But I'm too afraid to ask anyone…" He paused, and took a deep breath.

" Gumball." She began. Nicole leaned forward " Everybody has those times…And it's not a bad thing either... We just need to let them pass— There's always going to be a time where we have troubles we face. But there's nothing we can do. All we can do…" She paused, gently laying a hand on his cheek, which he closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"…Is let them happen, then let them go…" Nicole paused for a moment, and sighed. "And when they do happen, it's alright to show your emotions, to let out your stress and anger, or sorrow. And if you need help, then ask for help…There's absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. It's not a sign of weakness…But more of strength." She said, smiling. The smiles she always wore whenever she had her way of reassuring her children with the sort of comfort and love that never failed in cheering a mood. Gumball rested his head against her shoulder, finally releasing his held in emotions, from the emotions of all the other times he did his absolute best not to show. Even from the time when Darwin had first just left the house; almost a year ago. It all came pouring out, like a river flowing down hill, finally feeling the emotions of all kinds relieve into his sobs. Crying onto her shoulder, he felt like a child again. Whenever he would get a scar or hurt in general, he would always cry to his mother, like an immature child who was always getting into trouble. In a way, the memories were what cheered him up. Remembering the perfect nostalgia, back then where they were nothing but a happy family.

And as he remained like that for a while, Nicole allowed him to cry into her shirt, not a care in the world about it being wet; what was most important was her son. With a smile, she held him close in her arms, noticing that Gumball, still hadn't changed, even with the stress, with the aging, he wouldn't change from being her little trooper. She smiled at the thought.

" It's alright, darling…it's alright." She said quietly, stroking his hair.

· · ·

A little embarrassed about the incident still, even if his mother didn't mind at all, Gumball continued watching the show, slowly letting his mind diverge away from the subject. In a way, now, he felt more calm. Still, sometimes his heart weighed a little against him, but he was able to think straight now. He didn't feel so stressed out, not as much anyways.

And from his mind, no longer agitated, he began to contemplate about things. Thinking more about others, rather than himself. Gumball in a pensive moment of his life, he'd even paused the TV to think more about this subject. And after a few minutes, at around 4 to 5, he finally found a solution. One that not only that he would agree, so would Darwin, Anais and hopefully Nicole and Richard.

Startlingly him from the compounds of his mind, he glanced back at the door which somebody had just knocked. He got up from the seat and approached it. He opened it, a little surprised to see Penny instead of Anais. She had her usual purple hoodie on, and her hand stuffed inside it's pockets.

" Oh…Hi, Penny." He said, walking outside. She smiled shyly.

" Hey." She said casually. " I came to…cheer you up about what happened at school…but…you seem alright." She said, furrowing her eyebrows a little. She chuckled a little. " I was sure that you would be beating yourself over again and so I wanted to try and…I dunno— help." She said, shrugging quickly. Gumball smiled at her.

" Well I'm doing fine." He said, placing his hands in his pocket. With an awkward silence, Penny placed her hands behind her back and kicked the ground.

" Well…I'll see ya later." She said, waving for a moment, and began leaving.

" Wait…Penny, I...Can we talk?" He asked, walking towards her. She turned around with a slightly surprised face, as if that was something she wanted to avoid.

" I…I don't know, Gumball." She said, sighing.

" C'mon inside, it's raining." Gumball said, holding his hand out. Reluctantly, she accepted it and entered into the house. She took her wet shoes and placed them by the closet door.

" What was it you wanted to talk about?" Penny asked, a little apprehensive that he wasn't granted permission for her to come inside.

" I've noticed that…" Gumball began. "…you are kinda trying to avoid me…" He glanced back at her, which her eyes slightly widened. " I know why, though…that feeling, I get it too." He said with a sigh. " I know what your answer was before, you said you only wanted a brother and sister relationship…" He walked towards her. " But I just want to ask you…" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

" what?" She inquired.

"…I wouldn't mind either way…but…would you want to keep it that way, or…or would…you like to go on a date?"

· · ·

Darwin waited at Rosalind's door, afraid entirely to let her know of his presence. He needed to tell her this. But he was so fearful of her reaction. Finally, he managed a small rap of his knuckles.

"…grandma?" He called through the door. His palms began to sweat horrendously.

" Come in, dear?" She said, her voice permeating through the sounds of the TV and the door. Darwin twined the knob and allowed himself in, and the sounds elaborated. Darwin glanced at her television; it was a humble little set, only as about as large as any other medium sized TV. And the show she was watching had the slight low quality of sound, which often meant it was an old show. She paused it and looked at him with a smile.

"What can I do for you do?" She said, standing from her chair. Darwin's heart jolted again, feeling like if it would launch into his throat. It caused a stir in his stomach, making him nervous and restless.

"..I…I wanted to tell you something…grandma." Darwin said. He paused and took an unsteady deep breath. Rosalind's eyebrows furrowed.

" What's wrong dear?" She asked, concerned.

"…I'm sorry…grandma…I really am…but…I thought it would just be fair if I did this…I…" He held his hands in fists.

" Fair about what?" She asked.

"…I still love my other family…But I love you too…And…for it to be fair…I'm sorry…but…" Darwin held his breath, sweat began to gather at his brow. He knew there was no turning back now.

"…I'm going to leave."


	10. Chapter 10

** Chapter 10**

**Really sorry for that delay there. I've been extraordinarily busy for the past weeks, and so I didn't even get time to start on this chapter until now. So Sorry again! The delay really wasn't worth much**. **Though I don't know if I can promise anything for the next chapter being posted at an earlier time...**

"What do you mean by that?" Rosalind asked, standing up to her feet now.

"I...I'm going to stay at Carrie's...I love you, I do...But I also love my other family...I just want to make it fair..." Darwin kept his gaze locked at her feet. "...I still haven't decided yet...I...I just need more time." He gritted his teeth.

Afterwards, a bleak silence fell between them. Darwin remained unable to speak under this condition. He could feel her eyes, bearing into his skin. Leaving imprints upon his face. Rosalind finally moved, and she sat back down at her bed. With a slow movement she raised her hand, with the remote in it.

"Good bye my child..." Rosalind said with a deep, sorrowful sigh. Then, she pressed the button, and continued watching it. No longer with the held interest and stimulation. Now, with more of the attempt to try and forget what had happened. To try and annul the process of this from embedding her memory.

Darwin's eyes watered and he closed his eyes, releasing a tear.

"I'm sorry Grandma...I really am." He said, barely above his voice. The guilt was already starting to take affect. He had let her down by saying her child was no longer be able to come to the living world. And a day later, he claimed to his grandmother, he was leaving her. Leaving her alone, when she knew it was him that made her happy. He was her only relative left, the only part of her bloodline, and he pushed it into her face ' I'm leaving you, because I don't love you _enough_.'

Darwin forced her legs to move, to walk out of her room, and not to glance back at her face. He no longer had the required courage. Out into the hallway, he grabbed the door knob behind him, and slowly pulled it, until it closed, locking into place with the assuring 'click' sound.

There, slowly he gathers his needed materials. His backpack, his clothes, and his umbrella. Darwin glanced at a book that was lying apoplectic on a chair , and returned his eyes to his backpack, refocusing on his departure. But then, he slowly looks back at the book. And then he had realized it was Rosalind's song book. Of all of the songs she recorded unto sheet music, and kept them into that book for future studying. Which now belonged to him. Looking at it made his eyes water. She gave so much to make him happy. So much to her grandson. And the most he gave her was simply _being_ here.

His lower lip trembled as he picked up the book and slid it into his backpack. Swinging the straps around his arms, he walked out of the house and unraveled his umbrella. His sub-conscious murmured in the back of his head suddenly. _Why leave if you feel this guilty?_ Darwin thought about it for a moment. Which only brought up other why didn't he stay? Why didn't he just give up, and run back to his grandmother and apologize to what he said and just remain in this household?

….because...just _because_...

• • •

**Five** **days later**

Anais was in deep thought ever since Ms. Thompson had told her about the occurrence of her nightmares. She's been visiting her a few days now, analyzing more into her behavior and mind. Telling her techniques to try and prevent them, they work sometimes, but Anais was surprised that they work at all. But the times that they don't work, the nightmares only get longer and more dreadful.

While walking to school, Anais rubbed her temples in a motion to try and relieve the headache that her recent nightmare brought. She'd been walking home and to school alone now, mainly because Gumball is starting to ditch a few days of the week. She promised she wouldn't tell their parents only to the extent if he did her chores the days he ditched, all of them. Which she still believes she got the better end of the deal.

Anais head throbbed in class, while she kept her head down. That nightmare was so gruesome, and disturbing, that it even cast an upturned stomach and a wave of nausea and sickness. The dream not only was usually about suicide, but this one included gore.

"Anais? Do you know what type of equation this is?" Ms. Simian asked. She lifted her head and looked at the chalk board. She could hardly concentrate on the formulas Ms. Simian had written down.

"...that...it is a...quadratic equation." Anais said quietly. Ms. Simian nodded and continued on the lecture with the whole class. Anais rested her head back down, and she began to hear whispers lingering around her.

_Is she alright? is there something wrong with her? She looks like she's sick._ All of the whispers were similar to those ones she most frequently heard. _Why are they concerned about __**me**__?_ Anais thought to herself. She closed her eyes, and her headache increased in pain, and was continuously doing so. Then, a keening sound began to hurt her ears, as the pain of her headache was worsening, To the point that it could qualify as a migraine. She groaned and held her head, squeezing her eyes shut from the horrific pain. And then suddenly, it vanished.

The headache seemed to disappear, without the usual trace of slight pain; there was nothing. And her nausea was dismissed. Anais opened her eyes, but not to the familiar school she was in. All around her, were abstract images of her nightmares. All congested into her mind. She blinked, becoming worried where she was dwelling. But it didn't vanish. She looked around her, seeing nothing but floating light strips as if she was in her mind, dancing limpid lights that hovered around. Images of her past nightmares were capture into a square, as if she was watching them from a screen. But the background was nothing but a dark purple. She felt a cold surface beneath her feet, but she couldn't make it out; as if she was standing on nothing, the only thing to back up this reasoning was that her feet had been halted at an alleged surface.

She began to tremble. A brisk, coldness fell in the area, chilling away her heat. Anais forced her sleeping leg to move, with an effort that was superfluous for what she tried to do. And as a gentle step forward, it emanated a loud foot step, and the echoes reverberated around her, signaling that where she was, was grand. Suddenly, she began to hear voices. Almost like a wall, they started to surround her. Anais began to hyperventilate, as they increased from whispers to murmurs and yelling. They were all in sequence, and she couldn't even contemplate a word from what they were uttering. She closed her ears and screamed, and once she did, everything muted out. All she could hear was her breathing.

Keeping in her crouching position, she looked up, And nothing was there. Nothing but the pit of blackness, shrouding all. She turned around, her breath would escape into what sounded like now a closed up closet. No more echoes to ensure a large space, but now, she felt cornered. **What the hell is happening? Where the fuck am I?** Anais thought, but she held her breath. Partly from fear, but mostly from the fact her thoughts were out loud. She didn't even utter the words, neither did she move her tongue to create them. It was as if they seeped out of her mind and were said by another voice, only that voice was a replicate of her own. She turned around, feeling the sweat drip from her brow. **Is this real?** She asked, hearing it speak out again.

Then, she heard the shrilling creak of door hinges, as if one was being open. And immediately a light flared out from what seemed to be a square in the distance, revealing a light and path to it. Once her mind absorbed the information, she then heard footsteps behind her. Not hers, but as if someone else was with her.

_**Come with me...there's nothing to fear**__._ It spoke out, stretching it's dark tone to her ears, which made her paralyzed with fear. She could already feel it's presence. Then without a moment later, the thought raced into her mind. Run. She dashed away from the hands that had almost grasped her, the feeling of a thousand tiny palms that wanted her. Anais ran but then the feeling of water began to enter her senses. Water rising. Within a matter of seconds, the dark, cold substance was stretching over her ankles, then to her shins.

" NO! NO!" She attempted to scream, but came out as a croak, as if she felt a punctured wound inside her throat. The force began to weigh at her legs, now that the water was reaching her knees. She gritted her teeth locked her gaze to the light which was still a long distance away. But from her persistence to get away from it, the light seemingly moved away from her. The bleak, black water was now at her chest, pushing out the oxygen that came inside with every rushed inhale she took from fear. Within a matter of seconds, the water reached her chin, then over her head, completely submerging her into it's bowels. She tried to scream again, but the oxygen was released into black, oozing bubbles that only contaminated and repleted her lungs with the blackness. From the shear coldness that ran rampant over her body, she began to feel the tingling and pain of needles, stabbing at her skin from the brisk. She could still see the light. Blurred and wavy underneath the water, she could still see it's existence. But as deeper as she sank, it slowly died away.

As she was being swallowed up by the substance, she again felt those hands, now crawling over her body and legs, grasping with a tight grip once they raveled enough around her like a snake suffocating it's prey, they pulled her further down.

_**Like I said...there's nothing to fear.**_ Anais heard it's voice again, this time splitting at her ears. And then she felt her feet, reach past the water, as she was being pulled down. Soon, the sensation of it came to her legs and torso, as if the body of water was floating, and she was sinking beneath it as she continued to descend. And once her hand was released from the liquid, she began falling, hearing the wind whistle past her large ears, though as she descended now at an increasing rate. Dripping and soaked with the oily water, her mind almost felt destroyed. She no longer contemplated anything. She was only able to watch. And she plummeted onto the cold surface again, her thud emanated all around her. She felt the strident pain that impacted her nerves with a ferocity that would normally make her cry out in pain. The broken bones and her nerves reacted with exhilaration, sending messages of pain to her brain, but none of responsive action, because she didn't feel the need to move. Not to scream. Not to do anything.

Then she noticed that there were a pair eyes, staring at her. Widened, blood shot eyes that did nothing but stare. And they approached closer and closer, until Anais realized those eyes had belonged to her mother.

Anais was in her bed now, but the dripping water remained encased around her, and over the soaked black bed. Nicole was crying now, her eyes tearing blood as they stained her work shirt and her gray skirt.

" Why did you do this to us?" She croaked, sobbing intensively. " Why did you have to be this way?" Nicole muttered. She began to utter other questions, but they were barely above her voice to be understood. Then, Nicole had brandished out a bold, large knife from her back and raised it above her head. For a reason, a thought came to her head that the blood belonged to the others of the family. It came into her mind with a fashion as if she already knew this.

" You left me no choice!" her blood shot eyes widened at her with rage. And with the surge of pain, she thrust it down at Anais' throat.

• • •

Darwin jumped when he heard the scream in class. He didn't realize that Anais eyes had rolled in her head and she was shivering, and almost having a seizure. Worry and fear struck his heart. Everybody else ran to her aid and carried her out of the room, rushing her to the nurse while others called 911. Darwin shot up from his seat and ran out of the class, trying to see if Anais was alright. He tried to force his way into the crowd, to get his way closer to Anais, but it was to no avail. Why everyone seemed to care about her was oblivious to him, but that wasn't crucial matters at the moment.

" What happened to her?" Darwin screamed with concern, trying to find out what happened.

" Nobody knows." Bobert had said abruptly, with the usual monotone of his voice. Darwin glanced over at him, where Bobert stared intensely at him with his only one big eye.

" How did it happen?" He asked sternly.

" Nobody knows." He replied, completely equal from his last answer.

• • •

Gumball had only been ditching school for the past few days, for the reason of spending time with Penny. He knew very well that he could've spent more time with her at school as well, but for their new secret to become known from everyone would only ruin things. The part of the forest that Penny took to Gumball a few months back; that was where they were visiting whenever they ditched. Mostly just spending time together, and sometimes leaving there to go to the town, this was what they considered their date.

Right now, Gumball was just enjoying the sound of her voice currently, hearing her talk just about anything and how much she could rant on about multiple subjects in a one-sided conversation was somewhat amusing, yet, in his opinion and belief, attractive. Sometimes, unintentionally, he would diverge into his mind, becoming only sub-consciously aware of his environment, and technically speaking, ignore her as she would talk. Though it would put him in a sticky situation whenever she caught his sudden morph in behavior and she would then question him what she was recently speaking about, on which he couldn't answer even a remotely correct response on the subject.

Right now, he was actually given the opportunity to speak as well, no longer drifting on the side of her presence.

" So what do you think about my parents?" She suddenly asked. A smile drew on her face, a little eager for a quick response. Gumball scoffed.

"...I think they're...well, They scare me." He admitted, shrugging. She laughed at his reply, completely caught of guard by his answer.

" They _scare_ you? How do they _scare_ you?" She asked, hysterically.

" Well..I'm afraid to do wrong in their presence. So I just try to do nothing, and which I believe they find me awkward to be around because I literally just do nothing." Gumball said, looking at the ground. Penny just chuckled and shook her head.

" Okay then. So to reply in return in the question I asked you, I think of your parents as very diverse." Penny said, stretching out her legs, and laying completely flat on the grass. Gumball furrowed his eyebrows and wore a half smirk on his face.

" What does that mean?" He asked.

" Well. One, you mother is very hard working and productive, and, no offense, you father is very lazy and very...well, non-productive." Penny said. " I mean. You're very lazy as well, so I see where that comes from." She added, soon laughing. Gumball lied down beside her, smiling at her joke.

" It's not lazy. It's just I don't have the need to do anything." He said sarcastically. Penny just smiled at him for a moment and glanced up at the sky. A thought came across her mind, and she had a slight frown.

" What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing..it's just..." Penny paused. She sat up and began to pull grass out of the ground. " Do you... regret dating me?" She asked, keeping her eyes firmly set to the ground ahead of her.

" What? no...no, of course not. Why would I?" Gumball said, resting his palm against her hand.

" It's just...I thought it would just be better for us to have a limited relationship. But now, It's...hard to explain...almost like...a guilty pleasure." Penny said, soon blushing from her choice of words. Gumball thought about her reasoning and grinned.

" Well...I wouldn't have mind if it was limited, it's just that I've had feelings for you that was becoming more and more hard to sustain..." He explained, moving closer to her. Penny smiled and brought her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them.

" I know...same here...but at the same time..." She paused again and sighed. " I can't explain." She said, resting her head against her knee caps.

Gumball watched her for a moment and glanced back at the scenery of the town. Contemplating on ways of to possibly cheer her up, he remained quiet for a while.

Though she gently placed her head on his shoulder and he felt a nervous chill spill down his body. Glancing down at her, the feeling of compassion grew grandiosely larger. He leaned over and pecked her forehead. After that, things lead to another to where he realized he was lost within himself of kissing her.

Gumball retreated and moved further away from her.

" What's wrong?" She asked. He didn't like the feeling he had, the sort of exhilaration of arousal. It was eccentric to his blood, and he could tell he didn't want it again.

" I'm sorry...It's just I'm afraid of what will happen if we continue down this road." He said, his face flushed once he reviewed his thoughts at that time.

Soon, his phone rang, startling him completely. He forgot he took his phone with him. Gumball reluctantly slipped out of his pocket and held it to his ear.

" Hello?" He began, rubbing this side of his index finger with his thumb.

" Gumball! Where the hell are you?" Darwin shouted through the other side. Though the very presence of his voice left him speechless. _Darwin called me? Why? Didn't he...hate me?_ He thought to himself. " Are you going to answer me?" he exclaimed.

" y-yes, I...I was just..." Gumball didn't want to reveal any information about his present location or what he was doing.

" Why the fuck didn't you come to school?" He questioned.

" That's none of you business. Don't get an aneurysm." Gumball scoffed. " Since when did you start cursing?" He added.

" Yeah, try and change the subject Gumball! You idiot! You're sister is in the hospital! Did you know that? You probably didn't." Darwin retorted. Gumball furrowed his eyebrows.

" What the hell are you talking about?"

" You're sister had a seizure in class, afterwards, she stopped breathing and she remained unconscious for an hour. Her life was depended on an IV drip, and an oxygen mask to keep her breathing. She's been in the hospital for four hours. You're parents showed up, but **you** didn't. You're parents called the police, worrying their assess off, and you also let your sister down. The first half hour when you didn't come, she cried." Darwin explained, in a tone he intentionally used to display the guilt in others, and how it was their fault. Gumball kept his tongue, baffled at what he just heard. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

" Anais never had a seizure before." He said weakly. He could here Penny's voice silently exclaim, _what?_

" Well, that's worrying, _isn't _it? That's why you should haul your ass over here! And for your parents, you have explaining to do." Darwin said, before ending his side of the line. Gumball was in a daze. What happened to Anais? How did she get a seizure? Gumball asked himself the question, even if he didn't know the answer to. He replaced the phone back into his pocket and Penny had shot up to her feet.

" Anais got a seizure?" She asked astonished. Gumball could only nod to he answer, guilt starting to fill up his heart. " How?" She added. Gumball only assumed this, which was probably inaccurate, but he had no other explanation. Tears filled his eyes and he slowly looked at her face.

" Nobody knows."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Gumball had the incessant feeling of anxiety ripple at his body as he made his way inside the Elmore Hospital. He was given directions from the kind nurse who was actually the one how had nurtured for Anais, and explained their location on the third floor and room 327.

Gumball was slightly startled by the '_ding_' of the elevator. As the doors slid open, Gumball walked into the tiny spaced room. and pressed the button 3 and it glowed as the doors slid closed.

"Wait!" A man said, holding out his hand as he jogged towards the elevator. Gumball put his hand in the way to obstruct the doors from closing and he pushed them open. The man strolled in and smiled at the teenager.

"Thank you." He said, out of breath. Then, the doors finally closed.

" Sorry...I'm going to the third floor...what about you?" Gumball asked, keeping his arms close by his sides from nervousness.

" It's fine. I can just take floor down." He said, shaking his head to show it wasn't a big problem. Gumball never liked the feeling of his gut turning into a knot from the sensation of moving higher or a lower elevation. Though he knew his behavior becoming rather exposed. He had to wipe his brow every now and then, and his leg shivered. He was afraid of his parent's reaction, in sequence with Anais'.

The elevator finally stopped moving, and the doors opened again with it's notorious _ding_. Gumball smiled shyly and walked out of the room, walking his way down a hallway why scanning the plaques on the side of the doors to see if any contained the number 327.

But before he could start searching, he heard the blood chilling name being called from an angered voice.

"Gumball!" She exclaimed, he already knew the owner of it. Gumball stopped in his tracks and turned around. His mother, furious with her glaring look, marched towards him.

Instead of her usual white dress shirt and gray skirt, She was wearing a maroon polo and a black skirt that stopped below her knees.

Nicole ferociously grabbed his hand and pulled him along her side, holding on to his hand with a deathly grip.

" Mom...I'm sorry—"

" Not another word." She said sternly. Gumball felt the contempt emanating from her, even with her eyes set at their destination. All he did was guiltily listen to her command, and remain quiet as his emotions ate away at him.

They entered into the room, where Gumball neglected the stares upon his face. Though from his peripheral vision, he didn't see any familiar orange anywhere, signaling to him Darwin wasn't here currently.

" Anais told me already. You're ditching habits." Nicole whispered, keeping her arms crossed across her chest. Gumball kept his head low and he leaned against the wall on the side of Anais' bed. He noticed Anais was asleep now, underneath the white blankets of the bed. The room temperature also seemed to be really cold and icy, just like any other hospital.

" Where have you been?" Richard asked sternly, though keeping his voice barely above a whisper.

" I've...I've..." Gumball stammered. He was reluctant on telling the truth, not wanting to have Penny to get in trouble for his actions. He cleared his throat and looked at his father.

"...I've been with Penny." He said finally, swallowing. Richard's eyes widened slightly, not in a fashion of surprise or shock, but more of the sort of contained rage that would always lead to devastation.

" You've been ditching because of you're girlfriend?!" He asked, which sounded more of a quiet exclaim. Gumball flinched from his anger, and shrunk against the wall under the scrutiny of his father.

" You're grounded—"

" **No.**" Nicole interrupted firmly. Richard glanced at her, astonished.

" What?" Richard asked.

" He's not grounded." She said, shaking her head. Though she was defending him, Gumball couldn't help but feel just as baffled as his father.

" Honey, can we talk outside?" He asked, leading her to the door. Gumball had the slight feeling that they were going to get into a heated argument, which was the norm whenever they had requested each other to leave the room. Though Gumball cleared his throat, becoming aware of the awkward silence that was held in the room. Soon, as he anticipated, an argument had even permeated through the door as they had their hushed exclamations at each other.

Gumball approached the bed, watching Anais have the IV drip transfixed into her arm already gave him the slight tingle of pain of looking at it, knowing that it must've been really agonizing. He couldn't help but recall the guilt he felt and the tears that recollected into his eyes as he reached for her hand.

"Anais." He began quietly, wrapping his fingers around the child's palm, easily able to encase her hand completely. Gumball began to gently nudge her.

"Anais." He repeated. Through her thick slumber, she moved around and her eyes slightly fluttered, being interrupted from her mind.

"...uh..." She mumbled.

" Anais, it's me...Gumball." He said, taking a deep breath. After a few moments, Anais remained undeterred. Though she shifted in the bed and sighed. Her eyes, now slightly opened, she winced and looked at him.

"Gumball?" she said, slightly slurred, still half-asleep.

" yeah, it's me..." He replied, having a small smile. He wiped his philtrum from sweat and sat down at a chair, keeping his eyes on her. " Anais...I'm sorry...I...I didn't mean to come so late." He began. " I didn't mean to make you cry." Gumball added, knowing both were his fault.

" It's alright..." She whispered. After a moment she sighed. " I had to tell mom...when you were ditching..." Anais mentioned, now keeping her eyes open.

" I know...But you don't need to apologize, it was my fault."

Anais only nodded to his answer. Then a hollow silence descended upon them, leavin the argument the only audible conversation outside, as their heated words were filtering through the door and walls. Anais slightly furrowed her eyebrows.

"Are mom and dad fighting?" She asked tiredly. Gumball nodded in reply, a little disappointed about the situation.

"Yeah..."

" About what?" She added. He stayed silent from this, a little afraid to tell her that most of the things that were caused were on behalf of his actions. Sure, it wasn't his fault for Anais appearance in the hospital, but it was his fault for making her cry when he didn't come, and how he been ditching which also made a bad impression for his parents, which was the reason why they were arguing now.

Gumball could slightly listen to their conversation outside, the muffled words only partially discernible to their ears. _"__Richard, grounding him would only cause...it's not a good idea!_

_ He completely disobeyed our rules! Discipline...for things...these!_

_ And for what? To cause...stress? Everyone makes mistakes, but to punish him...would only... make him feel bad for himself! You've seen his behavior, he doesn't mean to do it! I've seen him cry to me because he felt...guilty! If we give him more chances, and show to him...then it will be alright!"_

Gumball contemplated their meanings of the words and thought about them for a while. He knew it was sort of biased to show favor for, but he believed Nicole for what she said. Not because she was defending him, but he knew personally it would make people feel bad for themselves and wouldn't solve anything if they were punished for a mistake they did during a time of stress.

" So...what are they fighting about?" Anais reiterated. He remembered his current place and glanced at her.

" Oh...sorry. I was...thinking..." Gumball said, clearing his throat. " They're fighting about...well, seeing if they should ground me or not..." He said, slightly embarrassed.

Anais thought about what he said for a moment.

" I don't think they should." She remarked, soon lying her head back down. Gumball glanced back at her, somewhat surprised when she said that, yet, somehow knowing that she would. Anais shifted in a comfortable position and took a deep breath.

" I'm going to go back to sleep..." She said. Gumball perked his ears from her remark.

" Aren't you going to have nightmares" He asked, concerned. For a while, she stayed silent, before answering the question.

"...I haven't had one yet...not after the event in school." She said, keeping her eyes closed. Anais closed her slightly opened mouth and began to inhale and exhale out of her nostrils.

Gumball blinked and kept his eyes set at her face, still having the tenure of guilt upon himself.

" Good night Anais..." He said quietly, before removing his hand from her's.

• • •

Darwin sighed, finally relieved that he made it over at Carrie's house, after his act of walking God knows how many miles away from the state of Elmore Hospital that resided only in the downtown. The Watterson family lived relatively close, but Carrie lived further away.

Darwin knocked at the door, and immediately Eva phased her head through the wood with a gleeful smile.

" Who is it!" She said, afterwards laughing after Darwin jumped from startle. Eva then unlocked the door and opened it for him, allowing him inside.

" I knew it would be you, deary." She said, still having residual laughter. " I apologize, I couldn't help it." She said, taking a deep breath. Darwin nodded his head with a small smile

" It's alright." He said, soon taking off his shoes. She began to meander away, then Darwin thought about a subject for a moment.

" Um..." He said, making Eva turn around with lifted eyebrows.

" Yes?" She asked.

" Is...Is Carrie doing alright?" Darwin asked cautiously. Eva sighed with slight disappointment.

" Deary...She hasn't left her room for a while." She explained. " Ever since that boy insulted her." Evangeline added with a tone of disgust. It was clear she had contempt shown to the one responsible.

" Can I talk to her?" Darwin asked.

" Oh, no no no no no...honey, she won't even talk to me...And I don't want to rush things, she'll come out of her room in due time." Evangeline said, nodding her head to try and show things would be fine. Soon, she turned around and floated away into another room, perhaps hers only phasing through it. Darwin sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He was about to walk into the living room until the slight whiteness caught his eye from the bottom of his eye. He saw a note on the ground, which he was curious enough to pick it up, for a reason not wanting to disregard it as insignificant like the other questionable things he usually saw laying about on their floors.

Darwin unraveled it and recognized the hand writing as Eva's.

_Darwin, I only said no because I noticed Carrie watching us. You might've not seen her, but from where I was standing I glanced at the mirror behind you and noticed her reflection; she was peaking from her door. I think you should talk to her. Like I said, she _won't_ talk to me. Evangeline_

He couldn't help but glance behind him, looking at the mirror of which she described about. For a curious moment, he wondered how she managed to write this note to him in such a quick space of time. But after contemplating she was a ghost, and how they were capable of doing a lot of things, Darwin didn't linger on with the subject.

He began his way up the stairs, approaching Carrie's room. He stopped at the door and sighed. Soon, he rapped his knuckles.

" Carrie?" He began. Though he retrieved no response." Carrie." He repeated. The door knob twisted and the door opened slightly, though beyond it was a veil of darkness, which Darwin couldn't see past it's vague presence.

" What do you want." She asked, which had more of the intensity of a distressed command.

" Carrie, can I talk to you?" He asked.

" No...I just want to be left alone." She said solemnly, and abruptly closed the door in the middle of the conversation.

" Carrie." Darwin began, but sighed. Left with no other alternative, Darwin let himself in and opened the door. Carrie whipped around with a surprised look.

" I said I want to be alone!" She snapped.

" I just want to help, Carrie."

" There's nothing you can do to help me!" She exclaimed.

" If you allow me to, then I could actually help!" Darwin said. Carrie gritted her teeth, becoming frustrated and emotional.

" Nobody can help me, Darwin! Just leave me alone!"

" I'm not leaving." Darwin said gravely. Carrie was baffled, her mouth had slightly dropped, shocked he would be this assertive.

" I said leave!"

" No..." He denied her command. Soon, full with fury, she powered forward and shoved him, making him stumble into he tripped onto his back, as well as hitting against her wall with a force that knocked the air out of him. He'd at least flew three feet away from her, but they were both as well shocked. Carrie, having her hands at her mouth as she was surprised at what she just done to her only friend, she was on the verge of tears. Darwin was coughing, trying to regain his stolen oxygen.

" Darwin..." She began, too afraid to speak. He glanced up at her, seeing the tears drip down her face. For a strange reason, he was reminded of when he first realized that her tears weren't actually water. He stumbled to his feet, as she covered her face from guilt.

" I'm sorry, Darwin...I know you were only trying to help...And I..." She paused, sitting down at her bed. " Dammit...I'm so fucking stupid!" She exclaimed at herself. Darwin held his stomach, after her forceful push it began to hurt, and stumbled to his feet.

Finally willing to listen to her, Darwin left her room without another word to say to her, neither in mind. He closed her door slowly as he heard the gusting of wind zip up to his side.

" What happened?" Evangeline asked with worry, partly from the fact he was holding his stomach. Darwin glanced at her, and in that moment, he caught himself about to lie. Lying to benefit his friend, but also having the will not to. He never liked it, lying in front of people to conceal the truth from them and leave them ignorant about what actually happened in whatever case scenario, but sometimes, he could consider it a good thing in order to keep the people he cared about safe, or happy. Even if the guilt wasn't everlasting, it still had it's impact as he knew it as a sin. But the truth won over him this time. Darwin shook his head slightly.

" She got angry at me, and pushed me...it was nothing, really." He said, managing a small smile to try and alleviate the anger instigating fact that Eva's daughter hurt him. Her eyes slightly widened.

" She pushed you?" Eva exclaimed sort of. " Well it must've been painful if you're clenching your stomach!" She added. Evangeline turned her head to the door and put her hand in front of her. _'Scuse me._ She mumbled, slightly moving Darwin out of her way.

" Carrie!" She shouted, entering the room by phasing. " You know I've told you to control your power! What in the..." She paused. Darwin thought that she might've of just now noticed the disarray in her room, which she might contemplate what might've occurred.

" What happened!" She demanded. Darwin decided to leave their presence, and let them argue without having the slight embarrassment of having him near them. Darwin put his shoes on, and his notebook Rosalind gave him, which provoked the small writhing guilt that would always linger on in him, even though if it was most of the time dormant. Walking down their hallway, he walked into the back porch, having the memories of which he first came her with Carrie, when she first showed him around the house. And for memory's sake, he made his way back to the house and entered into their art gallery, which he gazed upon their family picture again.

Now finally heading back at the backyard, he made his way through their still barren garden to their music room. As he made his way closer to the door, and as strange as it was, even inciting a considerable amount of fear, he heard the piano playing already. Darwin heard the beautiful notes being played, which it's music permeated through the door. He was on his way to play it himself, to try and sooth out his mingled emotions from past and present events which he lead to this, and the fact of he knew that only two people, or technically, _ghosts_, to hear the presence of another being astounded him, and scared him.

Darwin reached for the knob, and without a moment later, he opened the door. He looked upon the scene, of which he saw another ghost; a boy in a old fashioned garment, a velvet eton suit, having the style probably from the 1930's. From the appearance, he also looked like a _human_.

" Hello?" Darwin called from curiosity. The child looked up from the piano, and ceased playing. Darwin got the thought that the child might've been a lost soul, who had just awakened from his slumber, and was probably searching around for a familiar place until he saw a piano, which also might've incited a memory for him to play.

" Hello." The child replied with a smile, as if he became happy he was greeted. He must've mistaken Darwin's call of curiosity and confusion for a call of greeting and welcoming. Darwin approached the child as he began to play the piano again.

" Um..." Darwin began as he was walking near him. The kid kept his concentration at the piano, as well as his gaze, but he managed a small smile to show he split his focus into two; showing he was paying attention. " Who are you?" He finished.

" Me?" The kid remarked. For a while longer he continued playing, which began to sound very, very inharmonious and clamored as he was almost slamming his fingers against the keyboard. Darwin slightly grimaced his face, showing the sound was dissatisfying. The child stopped playing and glanced at Darwin again.

" My apologies; I really love that song." He said, almost with a look of passion. He cleared his throat and stood from the piano seat, and walked up to Darwin. He was remarkably short, even though Darwin knew he was 16, and the child probably 9, he only measured up to his stomach. Though the kid held out his hand. His hair was finely groomed to the right, as he was neatly dressed and from what he could tell, had a proper and meticulous disposition.

" What's your name?" He asked with a smile. Darwin was about to mention he asked first, but he would rather not take the risk of probably starting another argument.

" I'm Darwin...Holmes." He said, taking his hand and shaking it. The child's smile enlarged.

" Alrighty...My name is Luther Hendrix Rasmussen!" He said, gleefully. " You can just call me Luther, Darwin." He added, even giggling a little. Darwin's eyes widened, having remembered where the owner of the name was from.

" Carrie told me all about you, Darwin." He remarked as he sat down again at the piano.

" S-so did she, she also told me about you." Darwin said, baffled and stammering.

" Oh, aye?" He said, with an air of disinterest, also changing the sound of his voice. Then he giggled again. " Sorry, I like to use that accent, Scottish, I believe?" He said, thinking about it for a moment. Darwin thought that the kids back then would've been more proper, neat and mainly pompous and humorless. Luther although changed his mind, as he was always smiling and blissful, even for a ghost, he could be more happy than Evangeline. Which is saying a lot.

Darwin rubbed the back of his head, still astounded. Luther began playing again; probably not knowing it was rude to do that activity when he was still talking to someone.

" So...What song are you playing?" Darwin asked, as he was relieved he was replaying it from the beginning, of which the other part he would mash the keys.

" It's called_ Un Sospiro_!" He said, putting emphasis and a hint of a British accent on the name. " Created by the famous Hungarian pianist, Franz Liszt." He added quickly as if an advertisement, and again, chuckling a little. Darwin nodded.

" Oh..." He said. Luther took a quick glance at Darwin, and then looked back at the keyboard.

" So do you know a song?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the keys.

" Yes...It's called, uh..." Darwin paused and looked back through the book he had in his hand, trying to look for the familiar name he tried to pronounce.

" Uh...Lie...Lee-eh-beh-strom?" Darwin said, knowingly inaccurate. Luther laughed.

" Liebesträume? He said, with a more precise pronunciation. Darwin scoffed amusingly at himself.

" Yeah, I guess so." He said, closing his book.

" Yeah, That was also made by Franz Liszt. Strange, he was Hungarian, born in Raiding Austria, but yet he named some of his pieces German, Italian, and other languages. He died in Bayreuth Germany." He said, continuing to play the music. Darwin nodded, slightly from disinterest.

" Did...Carrie bring you back?" Darwin asked. Earning a more serious glance, Luther stopped playing.

" Yes...It's funny, I almost didn't recognize her. She looked human when we met, she was a ghost, and I was still alive. But now she seems stressed...Is that why she changes her looks?" He asked, looking at Darwin. All he could do was sigh and shrug his shoulders, even though he had a hunch that what he asked might've been true. Luther had a slight look of disappointment.

" What time...if you don't mind me asking, did you die?" Darwin asked, trying to change the subject. Luther moved his lips in a weird way and clicked his tongue.

" I was 25...or so. I liked my life better when I was a child...I first met Carrie when I was 13 though." He said, closing the piano. " I was one of the last humans alive...I believe there might've been...hmm...100 others in the world at the time?" He remarked as he stood from the chair. Darwin widened his eyes, slightly shocked. Though Luther thought about it pensively. " Probably...132? No, that was in 1929...so...about 121? no, wait, that was when I was 6...so...A Ha!" he exclaimed. " When I was my age right now, there was only 118 humans left." Luther remarked, with a slight grin of accomplishment. Darwin smiled and nodded, taking a liking of the child.

" Not to be rude, but I thought fishes wouldn't have voices like humans would. Or any animals for that matter." He mentioned.

" What do you mean?" Darwin asked.

" For example, you sound like a black person, not to be any rude at all, but you do. And I've heard some other people's voices, ah well, _animals_, again not trying to be rude..." Luther put his hands up in mock defense. Darwin could only smile with amusement, as he always reiterated his proclaim. " And they sound like white people, or Latino, or any other races..." Luther finished, while scratching his cheek. Then with a smile, Luther smiled.

" Alrighty. I'm going to talk to my parents, and bring them back for a while." He said abruptly, with a smile. Darwin nodded.

" Oh...uh, okay." He replied. And like any signature ghost disappearance, he began to dissolve into thin air.

" Bye." Darwin quickly managed to say before his friend completely evanescent into the air.

" _**Good bye, my friend!**_" His voice stated, now sounding wispy and eerily airy as he felt the aura of the room change. It sent chills up his spine, but he knew it wasn't anything harmless. Darwin looked around, feeling a cold presence in the room. Though soon, it disappeared and it returned back to normal, knowing that Luther had already left.

Darwin sat at the piano, still slightly dazed by whom he met. Carrie told him about the boy, but it wasn't much about him. For a reason as well, his muddled feelings were gone. No longer he felt that sort of down, but now much better, and possibly at peace.

With an inside smile, Darwin began to play the piano, now going to learn more of the song he loved most.

**Sorry about my long term pauses of writing, I've been having all sorts of hindrances lately. Writer's block, busy days, laziness and so forth. And again, I can't really promise the next chapter will be submitted sooner, but I sure as hell will try to. So I'll see you later then!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 **

While the ride home from the hospital was deathly quiet, Gumball couldn't relieve his feeling of anxiety. Mostly from his parents, which were surely still pissed off about Gumball, and the aura that hung around them which what he could feel, was mostly caused and targeted to him. Even if their eyes were settled on the street, he could still feel their anger almost. He kept himself cringed against the corner of the car, keeping his eyes out the window. Even when he was wearing a white tank top, he could feel his body heat increase.

Their house slowly came into view, always bringing back the sort of faint nostalgic feeling whenever you got close to it. Their car slowed to a stop; their tires whining as they were being contracted. Shutting of the engine, it killed away the rumble of the car. They all exited at the same time, closing their doors and Nicole locked the doors by the press of the button. Entering the house, they all took off his shoes, except Gumball. Anais shuffled up the stairs, along behind her was Nicole, where they entered into the bedrooms, and closed the doors almost in sequence. Gumball rubbed his arm as he looked around the house, slightly feeling uncomfortable being here.

And the only thought that wouldn't escape his mind was Penny. But Gumball managed to keep his head clear long enough to slip out of his shoes and stuff his socks into them, afterwards placing them into the closet nearest to the door. Taking a glance at Richard, he began to read the same book again, equipping with his reading glasses and this time with not a much enthusiastic face. From the recent arguments, his motives to read the book was probably to calm his anger.

After realizing how much Richard put up with after the last few months, and how Gumball had noticed he barely spoke to anyone. _Did the situation affect him that badly? Then again…He did mention Darwin was his favorite…_ Gumball thought about the past, and had a moment of sweet reminiscence, how happy they were back then. Though having the remembrance of Darwin being the father's favorite had brought a feeling of slight jealously, Despite the guilt he felt for having it. _Would he change if…Darwin were to have never come back?_ He contemplated possible future commotions or conditions. Until now, Gumball never really thought about how his father felt about this, and most of the time, Richard was at work, and when he was home, he would read, or do chores, and even stay in his bedroom sometimes.

Now starting to comprehend how it was like for his Dad, Gumball felt sorry for him. How much stress he was going through, it was probably a whole lot more than any of the others. Having an idea in mind, Gumball took a deep breath to try and bolster his confidence, and he approached his father. He sat at the seat next to him, and Richard looked up from his book for a moment, wondering what Gumball was planning to do, and then switched his attention back to his book.

" Dad?" Gumball began, while clearing his throat. Richard didn't show any acknowledgment to his son's call. Until he sighed and shifted in his seat.

" Yes son." He asked, which contained no sound of any interest or curiosity.

" I…" Gumball suddenly faltered within a passage of fear, having taken in the thought of how to even address this situation. Richard's eyes looked up from his book, which he was probably inpatient for this.

" Son, I just want to read my book, and be alone for a while…." He remarked, turning the page of his book. Gumball felt a chold chill craw down his body, and he swallowed hard.

" Dad…are you…angry at me?" He began, feeling his brow begin to relieve sweat. This earned him a very solemn, yet not a anger, look. For a while, Richard's eyes scrutinized his son's face.

" I was slightly angry at you before, Gumball, for ditching school. But no…I'm not angry at you…" Richard was about to continue reading until his gaze caught at something else, perhaps he was changing his mind. "…not anymore." He added. After a sniffle, he went back to his book, which Gumball felt slightly relieved for his father's reaction.

"…But… are you angry at Darwin?" Gumball asked. This time, Richard's eyes halted at his page. He ceased reading from his question, and with his attention caught more within the boundaries of Gumball's curiosities, Richard settled the book against his lap and gave his undivided attention to his son.

" Why are you asking me these things?" He asked, slightly furrowing his eyebrows from concern.

" Because…you're not the same as you were when Darwin was here…I…nobody can hardly get you to talk…and…you also mentioned before Darwin was your favorite." Gumball remarked, looking down at the needlework of the cloth overlaying the sofa. Richard's eyes slightly sullened, and gently narrowed from sorrow.

" Hmm." He hummed, stroking his chin that had the rough abrasion of an 8 'o'clock shadow.

" To tell the truth Gumball…no, I haven't been the same. I can't wrap my mind around the concept of why would someone put so much pressure on a poor child like that." Richard began, keeping his eyes narrowed at the sofa, slightly depressed and deep in thought. " I wish that Darwin wouldn't have to go through life like this. How he has to live with the memory of tearing his existence between two families who love him deeply. And how whichever choice he makes will affect his future life. I'm not angry at Darwin, to answer your question."

Richard said, his voice becoming more aggressive. Gumball was slightly intrigued and fearful of this; He never heard Richard talk this way before, not even when before any of this happened. Expressing his emotions was very unprecedented, mainly for the part that he never felt emotional or stressed until these past few months.

" I'm angry at myself, for being the damned coward to not let my family know how I'm feeling, nor to let my own son know, how much I love him. And how much I don't give a damn about whichever family he chooses." Richard's eyes began to water up. Gumball heard the slight creaking hinges from the hallway up stairs, along as the sound of feet pattering down the stairs; he distinctly knew that it was his mother and sister, but he didn't move a muscle to look at them.

" How I can't even face him, knowing that he can no longer see me as father, nor his protector. I know that I will only live in his memory, even if he does chooses this family. He had a father, and a mother. We were just his foster parents, taking care of him since birth, but know that he knows his true past, his true heritage, we are just going to seen as friends, if that…" tears dripped from his chin, his lower lip trembling as he spoke out, completely unaware about his environment and only concerned now about unraveling out his mind.

" What will he gain out of this? How is this going to benefit Darwin's life, for him to know that he was the unlucky one, all along to have this sort of life, and how it would scare him forever…The past event was already enough, and now this…and who is there to blame? Nobody…because they didn't intend to do this; not even Rosalind when she arrived at our door, not even the judge when he made his decision…

" And I still have that guilty feeling, of having that slight issue still, even though I say I don't care, deep in my heart I know that I do care which family he chooses…and yet I know and fear greatly that this feeling would only hurt him more, knowing that his choice will hurt others around him…" Richard kept his eyes at the sofa, until he slowly looked up at his son, who was now trying to sustain the tears as well.

" I'm not angry at you, not Nicole, not Anais or Darwin….I'm only angry at myself." He whispered the last sentence, soon breaking down into quiet sobs. Gumball then had stood from the couch and embraced his father, soon the other relatives following his lead.

" I love you Dad…I love you so much." Gumball said, and closed his eyes as the water released. _Sometimes…Life isn't easy._

· · ·

Anais' absence in school had made her feel mixed emotions; she was overall, happy because for the obvious reasons that she hated school. She was also relieved because after that incident, she didn't contain the courage to face everyone, which in turn, might now start bullying her. And also, Anais felt annoyed, knowing that her work over the day would gather on because of her day off. Her mind would occasionally remind her of the pros and cons of the situation, seemingly like her annoying alarm clock; of which it's sounds were so horribly recognizable, and the very instant of remembering it's beeping, she would hear it's quiet ring in her head, as if she thought it was going off at that time. (no joke, happens to me.)

Anais was at Ms. Thompson's office now, consulting her about the most recent problem which still carried it's after affects with her, sometimes even causing her to feel a cold chill down her spine, or her mind playing tricks on her by repeating the voice she heard.

" Ms. Thompson, it happened in the middle of day! I wasn't sleeping at all!" Anais exclaimed, extremely worried about it.

" Anais, you need to calm yourself. You said so you put your head down when you had that headache. Maybe then, you fell asleep." Ms. Thompson suggested, but she gave off the feeling she was confident about this being true.

" No, Ms. Thompson¾"

" You can just call me Anna." She said, slightly getting tired of her last name being used formally. Anais cleared her throat.

" Anna…It happened when I was awake. I was¾A-Aware of my environment, okay? I knew what was happening around me, and I had, this…t-this horrible head ache…." Anais explained, feeling her muscles tremble. She also noticed herself going through motions with her arms and hands.

" And….Then it became so much more….painful, a-and I thought it was a migraine. Until it just stopped….just stopped."

" Was that when you had that…." Anna paused and began to moving her wrist in a circular motion, trying to contemplate a word to use. "…hallucination?" She added. Anais nodded.

" Yes…Then you know the rest…" Anais said, taking a deep breath. Anna locked her fingers together.

" Anais, If it's true, that you were awake…I have no reasoning, it completely comes to me of…I don't compute." She said. " But if you might've….drifted off, I have a vague idea….though I think I still need to make some analyzing." She said, scratching her brow.

" Like what?" Anais asked.

" Asking you questions….pondering on further about this…And other tests. I may need to interview you, also execute some questionnaires…As a clinical psychologist, I would be at fault if I didn't do it." Anna said, standing up from the seat. Anais felt slightly shocked. Knowing what she needed to do; her goal was to scrutinize her behavior, emotional, and personality status and or style, to analyze any mental illness. Anais nodded slightly, worried that if the results would come out if she had any interventions. Anna sighed. " I know I didn't perform those actions before when you first arrived to my office, but I thought things would resolve themselves. Now that your symptons have come to this, I have no other alternative…" She said, keeping a straight posture. The timer went off, and Anna exhaled through her nostrils. She walked over to it and gently pressed the off button.

" I'll see you tomorrow, Anais." Anna said, glancing back at her. Anais stood from the seat, and managed a small smile, and without another word, exited her room.

· · ·

Gumball's ditching habits died hard; His mother was kind enough to limit his punishment and not ground him, but when he got back home, he needed to do all of the chores, plus wash his clothes. Also, he had to promise not to wear anymore tank tops, at least not for a few months, which was always his recent attire. So he decided for once to wear a long black sleeved shirt, that even had a collar on it's neck. Walking to school, Gumball felt the reluctance grow upon his shoulders, as he knew he would need to work extra hard for the work he missed. Sighing to himself, he rubbed the back of his head, approaching the school doors. Though at the same time, He couldn't seem to get his mind from the scene from last night. Gumball sighed and still felt the slight pity in his heart.

As he opened the doors, he noticed the two: Darwin and Carrie. They were both hanging together in the locker hallways. Seeing the sight of them brought back the guilt and nervousness; He knew eventually he had to apologize. Their chatting was barely audible, considering the ocean of people around him, but he noticed they both nodded, and Darwin headed for the restroom. _Now's my chance_. Gumball thought to himself. While feeling his anxiety increase, he took a deep breath and within the moment of courage, he approached her. Ingressing into the crowd, reaching his hand out and gently laying his fingers on her shoulders sent a wave of cold around his body. She glanced behind her and her curious look turned into shock, and molded with anger.

" Carrie, I….I wanted to¾" Within the instant Carrie yelled and rammed her way into his body, completely taking control over his nerves, muscles and body functions. Gumball felt the sickening and nauseating feeling pass all over him; where he could still control his thoughts. Everybody felt the force wave around them once she had entered into his body, and frantically avoided him as they stopped what they were doing. They stood afar off, as Gumball fell to his knees, feeling his muscles spasm from panic.

" Ca…Ca…rrie..." Gumball strained to speak.

" **You embarrassed me in front of **_**EVERYONE**_!" She screamed though his mouth, her voice having the eerie sound of two voices in sequence, one hers and the other a deeper, darker tone. Gumball felt his throat contract, and he vomited out a black liquid; perhaps she had probably poisoned him. Everyone around him was gasping and sliding out their cell phones as they began to record the event, the thought of aiding him most likely slipped through their impaired minds. He began to feel the warm stream pass down his legs, of which he knew she controlled him to do this; compleletly humiliating him.

" I'm….so…sor…ry…." Gumball choked out, as he continued to puke.

" **Now….it's my **_**turn**_."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Darwin heard the rambunctious sounds of people screaming outside his door, and also the noise of feet pattern and stomping. He furrowed his eyebrows, and glanced at the door as he was washing his hands. Then, abruptly, Tobias had slammed open the door, surprising Darwin completely and ran towards him.

" Dude! Carrie's fucking insane, yo!" He yelled, pointing at the door behind him. Darwin dried his hands, keeping his eyes on him.

" What do you mean?" He asked.

" Dude, Gumball came and touched her shoulder, and as soon as she saw him, BAM! She flipped! She controlled his body and making him do all this crazy shit! She's fucking his ass up! You need to come and chill her dude!" Tobias exclaimed with fear, as with the same reactions everyone else had. Darwin's eyes widened and for a moment, staying paralyzed. Then the next moment, he ran out of the restroom, and opened the door. He was surprised by the large gathering that was at least 15 feet away from the area of which he couldn't see.

" Move! Excuse me, please just get out of my way!" Darwin yelled, as he pushed his way through the crowd, which willingly opened up as they knew he was friends with Carrie. And as Darwin arrived at the scene, What he beheld left his jaw ajar. Gumball's shirt, which was black naturally, also had a black substance which was some how a deeper hue then his shirt, staining his clothes along as the floor. Then everyone began to scream once his body began to lift up, as if he was being possessed. Soon his body had flung to the right, slamming against the locker doors, leaving a large dent with the loudest clang that could hit against anyone's ears, and leaving a ring for the aftershock. Witnessing this event, Darwin's mind almost erased every detail of what he thought about Carrie; at least the innocence. Tightening his fists, partially from fear, he took a deep breath and yelled.

" Carrie, **Stop**!" exclaiming at the top of his lungs. Which resulted in the eyes and attention of the gathering of people, causing a slight prickling on his back. Most of them held their cell phones in front of their faces, recording the event, which effortlessly annoyed the hell out of him. Gumball's eyes closed as his body tumbled against the cold tile floor, as Carrie exited his body. Darwin ran to his aid, along with other teachers. He was coughing out more of the black, inky liquid, which rose Darwin's concern even more. Darwin knelt down his side, placing his two fingers against the side of his neck, feeling his pulse out of an abrupt wave of fear; though he knew himself he was alive, he had just coughed, which signaled the fact he was still breathing. Though despite it, Darwin was almost terrified, for the reason that Carrie would commit such a thing. With a horrific glance, he looked back at her, whom was being handled by the deans while keeping her arms behind her back. She would be able to phase through their grips, but Darwin knew that she wouldn't, knowing that what she'd done was enough to be punished, even then, she still kept the perpetual glare at Gumball's unconscious body.

" How could you do this?" Darwin asked, bewildered beyond belief. She turned her attention to him, and her face loosened up from the anger that was displayed, and into a more surprised look. Darwin could only shake his head, incredulous about the type of thing still she did, which was still confusing him. " What is wrong with you?" escaped his mouth, not intentionally, he knew this. But also concurrently, he held the slight indignation to justify he also meant the proclamation. Her eyes became blank with no emotion; shocked that he would say that to her, him of all people. Then, they took her to the Dean's office, where they would contact her parents and Gumball's. Darwin watched the whole thing until she disappeared from his sight. Then he glanced back down at Gumball.

" Can you help me?" a nurse asked. Darwin nodded, and lifted Gumball unto his back, and wrapped Gumball's arm around his neck. After dragging him to their office, they called the paramedics. Darwin stayed near Gumball, of which he felt awkward. He forgot the feeling of care for them. And after feeling so worried for him, he remembered how much of a brother he cared for him still. Even if the mistakes he would make once in a while, Darwin couldn't mistake the feeling of connection still; that feeling he knew which would forever thrive in him.

· · ·

After the long day of arguments and yelling, Anais found out what had happened to Gumball. She was also accompanied with them inside the Sheriff's office, also from the Hospital, and now at the police station. All day, they've been discussing the problem between the two families. Nicole's lawyer was insisting to file a lawsuit and charge them, but Nicole always said no. And Anais knew her answer would be the same. Though Evangeline had said she would pay for the medical bills, of which Nicole tried to deny, but Eva had kept her side up and wasn't going down; she was adamant about it too. Darwin was also there, but he was seldom part of there conversations, which he also seemed nervous from the eyes from his once family. Occasionally, Evangeline would leave with Carrie, perhaps to scold her for what she'd done, or in some other cases, comfort her for some of the times when Carrie would sob in the middle of the meeting.

From what Anais learned, Carrie had taken control of Gumball's body and beat him up, somehow, and Gumball had a fractured bone, which completely amazed her. He only had a fractured collar bone, of which she saw X-ray images of it being a compound fracture, which began to swell over his clavicle. Anais never liked seeing broken bones; she would always receive that tingle in her body of knowing that it would be agonizing to have that sort of pain, and sometimes even have to rub that part from it. Though he did have some sprains among his hips, shoulders and legs, but that was it.

Then, as the discussion was settled, Nicole and the rest of the family exited the hospital into the bleak dark night. The light's illuminated paths on the sidewalk as they approached their car. Nicole clicked the button on her keys to unlock it, And Anais climbed into the back of the seat, the leather interior having a cold touch to it, as well as almost an aura in the car. Richard and Nicole were about to enter the two front seats, until Nicole felt her shoulder being tapped.

" Hey...um….Nicole?" Darwin called quietly, also hesitantly using her name, still receiving the feeling that calling her that name would be an unruly behavior to do, even though he knew she wasn't his real mom. Nicole glanced back with a gasp, which was going to be followed by a chuckle, relieved it was a familiar face, until it died away instantly once she received the fact that the familiar face belonged to Darwin; their adopted son. After staying silent for a while, she blinked and turned her body his way.

" Yes?" She replied, clearing her throat.

" I….I was wondering, If I could, um, come with you? I wanted….to check on Gumball as well." He said, his brow starting to perspire. Nicole, from what Anais could see, became even more perplexed. She clicked her tongue and glanced back at the car, hoping that her family would feel comfortable with the answer she was about to give.

" Oh…um, yes, go ahead…y-you can sit in the back seat." She said, smiling slightly nervously, yet still somewhat containing joy. Though the situation put everyone in an awkward position, partly from Darwin's random reason to come along with them, also how he hadn't even contacted them for over a few weeks, neither did he seem like he cared anymore about them. Which, in turn, might've made the Watterson's feel slightly happy for his coming along.

During the ride, There was talking along Nicole and Richard, a very small talk like conversation, but Anais nor Darwin wanted to join in. Instead, Anais wanted to talk to him only. Keeping his gaze looking out of the window, Darwin kept his peace, like usual whenever they rode along on long trips.

" Darwin?" Anais called. He turned to her, with a shy expression she never really saw before. At least whenever around them.

" Hmm?" He hummed.

" Are you still angry at us?" She asked. Darwin shook his head, which relieved the tension in her heart.

" I…well, no. I'm not anymore." He replied. Anais didn't want to rush the subject along, neither did she want to trouble him, but he had only 5 days left.

" Darwin…I'm sorry to bring this up…but…did you choose yet?" Anais asked, swallowing the lump in her throat. Darwin's disposition fell down to a more, sullen, solemn aura around him.

" Please…Anais…" He began. Darwin turned his head back to the window, and sighed. "…don't ever bring that up."

Anais nodded and remained quiet for the rest of the ride, knowing that bringing the subject would cause this sort of reaction; she knew it yet she asked it out of curiosity. _Or was it?_ That pessimistic talk in the back of her head began. _Don't you think that your most obvious reason for this, was to ensure he stayed with you?_

· · ·

As Anais was incorporated inside the room, along with the family, Penny obviously came, after hearing what happened, she decided to stay with them until the hospital had proclaimed visiting hours were over. And just with the anticipated reaction of seeing the unpredicted appearance of Darwin accompanying them with Gumball, She too, couldn't relieve her eyes from him for a while.

Nicole and Richard were talking to the nurse about the types operations that would be needed to repair Gumball's broken clavicle. While Penny was sitting nearest to Gumball, containing his hand, which she ensured it wasn't his hand that also shared the same side of his broken collar bone, she slightly stroked his back hand. Suddenly, a loud tune began to play, emanating from her pocket which startled everyone in the room. She slipped out her cell phone and stood up from the seat. Putting it to her ear, she began conversation.

" Hello?…I'm at the hospital…yeah, I…I'm with him, mm hm…yeah, and his family…oh…oh okay, yeah…alrighty then." She said, afterwards sighing. " Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine…Yeah I'll be waiting down there, just need to do some things first—Huh? Oh, I said I needed to do some things first." Penny repeated louder. "…Alright, I'll see you then. Bye." She waited a few moments before setting the phone at few inches from her stomach as she looked down upon it. Then, she concealed it back into her pocket.

" I have to leave soon. My mom is picking me up." Penny mentioned, bunching her hands into her pockets as well. With a half smile, she bid farewell.

" Good bye all of you. It was also nice seeing you again, Darwin." Penny said, Darwin didn't reply to this, only to show acknowledgment by smiling back. Her smile enlarged as she turned her head around and headed out the door. Anais also removed her self from her chair and stretched.

" I'm going to explore around the building. Gumball's asleep and there's nothing much to do. Want to come?" Anais asked, even offering a hand to aid him if his answer was positive. But Darwin shook his head.

" No thanks, I'll be fine." He said.

" Mmkay." She said apathetically and shuffled out the room. Darwin kept his eyes at the door which had opened, and creakily closed as she walked out of the room. He was in thought, though more in a daydreaming ocean. For what felt like hours, Darwin stayed in his position, being taken out of his body and thrown into his brain, just daydreaming from boredom. Neither was it a consistent subject; it would change from one to another, flowing like a stream inside the boundaries of his mind.

"…Darwin?" He heard his name being uttered. This slightly triggered him back into reality, but he wasn't completely aware of his environment.

" Darwin is that you?" He heard it again, this time, he blinked and remembered he was in the hospital. He glanced over at the only person that would be in the room at the time, and noticed that Gumball was looking at him; finally awake.

" Oh, Gumball….you're awake." Darwin said, standing from his seat.

" Why….what are you doing here?" Gumball asked, more surprised beyond belief, but too tired and hurt to display any of the particular emotion, or the like.

" I came here because I…I was worried." Darwin said, sighing at the end of his statement. For a moment, he knew that Gumball didn't believe him, but after a while as he kept his structure, Darwin sat down at the chair by the bed.

" You really came here to see me?" He asked. Darwin scoffed from amusement.

" No, Gumball. I came here out of boredom." He replied sarcastically. Gumball managed a small smile.

" I thought you would never forgive me." He said. Darwin thought about his sentence for a while, taking in and absorbing the information.

" Well that's the thing…I did already." Darwin said, soon returning the smile. Gumball's eyes stayed glued on Darwin's face for a while, soon they were beginning to gain tears.

" I…you don't know how relieved I am to see you…Even though you've been gone from the house for a few weeks, to me it feels like years since I last ever chatted with you. Since I ever hung out with you…" He said, his voice trembling. He sniffled and turned his head the other way, keeping himself from tearing in front of him. Gumball then tried to sit up, though he felt the sharp stinging stretch of pain lash against his chest, where it derived from the collar bone. Gumball let out an exclamation, and Darwin immediately stood up.

" Gumball, stay down!" He said, placing a gentle hand on his chest to keep him from getting up. " You broke a collar bone. That's why it hurts to move." Darwin explained, sighing. Gumball was still slightly breathing heavily from the residual sting

" I did? Ah, fuck." He said, after pressing his head against the pillow. " Ah dammit…It hurts like shit." Gumball remarked.

" I could imagine." Darwin said, slightly chuckling. Gumball leaned his head over to look at Darwin and he sniffled again.

"…How long are you staying?" He asked curiously. Darwin scratched his head and sucked the corner of his lips. He shrugged.

" I don't know…I guess whenever I have to go…" Darwin said, suddenly gaining the urge to check his watch for the time, which gave him the slight nervousness of what the time might be; perhaps way later than he thought. Glancing down at his wrist, and displayed the numbers '9:32'.

" I…Sorry, But I have to go right now. It takes me usually thirty minutes to get to Carrie's house from here, and it's around 9:30 right now, so¾"

" Wait, you have to leave right now?" Gumball asked suddenly, seemingly worried. Darwin was a little sad he was going to disappoint him.

" Yeah, I go to bed at around 10:30, Gumball. Plus, I still didn't get started on my homework."

" But, you can do it here, right?" He asked, hopefully.

" I left my backpack at home, Gumball." Darwin replied, which made the hope die down inside Gumball, even the little shine in his eyes disappeared.

" Wait…you said Carrie's house. Does that mean, you…" Gumball remarked. Darwin became frozen again. This subject never gave comfort to talk about, only the cold hard truth of what was going to happen at the end of this month. With a slight grimace, Darwin turned away from him.

" No…I haven't made my mind….and I don't want any pressure, If I can have that." Darwin said coldly. After a few minutes of silence, Darwin took a deep breath. " I have to leave." He said finally, soon approaching the door and twined the handle, And without another word, Darwin left the building.

· · ·

Carrie had to take some time off of life to regain her composure. The most effective way to keep her inside the depths of her mind and diverge the concepts of modern day living was, in her opinion, sleeping. Carrie opened her eyes lazily, Where as she just remembered the time when she was being scolded for harming Gumball earlier. She yawned, and also she faintly remembered the fact that she never stretched, mainly because she didn't have muscles to try and renew the energy in them.

She got up from her bed, and opened her door, this time deciding not to try and make phasing a habit for such trivial and easy tasks that she could do manually. What she now decided to do was apologize to Darwin first, from the other day of shoving him, this time more formally. _If I'm going to apologize about those things, I might as well do it sooner than later_. Carrie thought to herself. She floated down the stairs, still feeling a little groggy from the slumber. At the sight of not seeing Darwin sitting at the couch or anywhere in the living was kinda confusing for her; He was always reading a book or sleeping.

" Darwin?" she called, not expecting a response. With the silence she anticipated, she sighed, knowing she would have to search for him, and continued floating down the stairs. Carrie had a hunch to check the music room, but she realized that he never played any instruments before, so she apathetically shrugged off the suggestion. She searched around the bedrooms first, then the hallways. After a few spent time of not finding him, she searched the gallery and the garden. She event visited the passage again, leading to the scenery of the house from a hill afar off. And from irritancy, she decided to name it 'Secret place' because of whatever reason she had. Her last resort now, the music room.

As Carrie approached the music room, while floating at least a inch above the grass, the sounds of the piano playing in a repeated fashion didn't have the wave of reassurance that would show her he was there; in fact, it caused a slight annoyance that reminded her searching for him stole remarkable hours from her, when she should've just looked first in the music room. She stopped at the door, and took a deep breath, trying to dispense all of her temper in one exhale. After that, she Carrie phased through the door, seeing him flit his eyes from the piano and his notebook; perhaps practicing.

" Darwin." She called. In a spasm of fear, he hit a wrong note and jumped a little. Turning his head to her, his eyes were slightly widened. But a smile grew on his face and he began laughing.

" You scared the hell out of me…I've been alone for at least an hour or two. I didn't even here you come in." he added, sniffling. Carrie managed a small smile, acknowledging his claim.

" So….what do you need? If you need something, of course." Darwin said, looking back at his music sheet for a moment. His tone of voice slightly surprised her; sounding as if he forgot about the event that happened earlier.

"…I…wanted to apologize for earlier, about what I did to your…friend…" Carrie began. Darwin's smile disappeared and he stared blankly at her.

"Gumball?" Darwin asked. Carrie nodded with sigh.

" You shouldn't apologize to me, you know that right?" Darwin asked, turning in his seat. Carrie sniffled and crossed her arms.

" I know…but you also seemed very pissed off about it." She said. After not receiving a reply afterwards, she cleared her throat and continued.

" I also wanted to apologize about yesterday…when I pushed you and when you hit against the wall." She remarked. " I've been really emotional lately, as you can tell…And I took my anger out on you when I shouldn't have…" She said, scratching the back of her head. " I let Gumball's stupid insults get to me, and I realized how pitiably true it was…" Carrie added.

" Carrie, not it's not—"

" Yeah it is, Darwin. You need to admit, I even told you myself I morphed my appearance because I tried to fit in…." She said, using her hand to move the hair out of her vision, instead of flicking her head. " And you are the only person who likes me as well…." Carrie said, trying to manage her unduly sorrow.

" Carrie, look. Whatever Gumball said, I don't give a damn if it was true. You're still my friend. I won't judge you because of how your lifestyle was or is." Darwin said, standing up from the piano seat. " You're a good person…and whatever defects you have, I don't care. Everyone does, not just you." He gently grabbed hold of her hand, where he locked his fingers into hers. " Truth is, Carrie…." Darwin began.

Carrie's mouth glued; she received the familiar feeling of tenderness, the same warmth crawling into her ghostly form, also mostly the sort of sensation in her chest, the sort of growing _cherish._ If she were to be alive, she knew accurately well she would've had a sweaty brow and a flushed face. Darwin looked at her eyes, and within the moment, gave her a hug, wrapping his arms around her torso, where she stayed paralyzed. " You're my only friend, too." He finished.

Carrie couldn't sustain her emotions; where she'd fallen apart, breaking into sobbing and tightly hugging him back too. She knew she wouldn't say this out loud, she wasn't the person to do something like it, but she thought about it in her mind. _Darwin….I never realized before how much I cared about you…sometimes…you're like the brother I never had…_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Anais opened her tired eyes, still her eyelids felt heavy from slumber. And when a few moments passed, her alarm clock went off. She sighed, beginning to wonder if she even needed her alarm clock to sound off it's annoying loud ringing in the morning. Anais turned in her bed and pressed the top button, killing the sound in an instant. With a deep breath, she rubbed her itchy eyes and drew her legs over the bed. She glanced at the clock and it displayed in green letters, 6:00. Soon, she stood up and headed for the bathroom.

Anais began to cook herself breakfast, instead of making herself cereal which would only glue its horrible aftertaste mingled with saliva in her mouth. She began to crack the shells of the eggs and plaster them onto the hot pan, creating the sizzle and the yolk turning white; making sunny side up style. Then she thawed out some sausages and turned the pan on low heat, so she could prepare clean clothes for today. Summer break would be here at the end of next week Wednesday; the school's year had went by fast. Almost seemingly like if it didn't even happen at all. Though by the news, it would normally excite Anais, which in turn it did, but not as much as it usually did. Perhaps it was just maturity taking its course. After all, she began to go through puberty at age 9. A year later, her voice might've gotten deeper, but as much as she knew, she wasn't exactly sure.

Anais put on a blue T-shirt, having the slight memory that she wore this particular shirt when she first met Luis when she became lost. Looking at herself in the mirror, she stayed in thought for a while longer before snapping back to reality, and continuing to change into pants. Anais also noticed how remarkably she changed in personality, before she was always in the habit of wearing skirts. But then she remembered she was five years old at the time; most of all girls liked dresses at the time.

She began to trot down the stairs when she heard her parents door open, knowing that it was Richard since Nicole had to wake up at around 3:00 o'clock in the morning because of work requirements. Anais flipped her sausages and waited then for them to brown longer, before placing them on her plate.

" Hi." Richard greeted, already dressed out of his pajamas. He was wearing a dress shirt, along with blue jeans that folded at his ankles once they hit against his black Blucher shoes, and a belt that wrapped around his big waist; from what Anais remembered, he was beginning to lose weight. Anais smiled.

" Hi dad." She replied, taking her plate to the table.

" No cereal?" He asked, taking the thought that she cooked breakfast because there was no more cereal.

" huh? Oh, there is…it's just I wanted to cook." Anais said, shrugging as she took a bite of her eggs. Richard smiled and paused for a moment. After rubbing the back of his head, he cleared his throat.

" I'm going to be waiting in the car. Just come outside when you're ready." He said, unhooking the keys off of the key holder and headed outside.

" Alright." She replied as he opened the door.

Anais unhooked the her house key off the key holder and exited the house, locking the door as she left. Having the reminder that school end of school was 8 hours away, she sighed with a great disappointment and climbed into the back seat of the car and wrapped the seat belt at her chest.

" You alright?" Richard asked. Anais nodded.

" I'm fine, Dad…It's just…school, you know?" She remarked, and slightly chuckled afterwards. He smiled and glanced at her through the rear view mirror.

He started the car engine and it sputtered for a moment before it started running. And he pressed on the gas pedal, veering into the street and headed on to her school. Though Anais felt slightly discomforted; She was going to be alone. She only had two friends, Luis and Cecilia. But it's been a while since they've last talked. Anais sighed it off, readying herself to face the day; with possible results like being insulted, or bullied. Considering two days ago she had a seizure In the middle of class, which was still being analyzed by her psychologist.

_Today….might be the worst day of my life._

· · ·

Anais kept her head low, to prevent herself from catching anyone's eyes or attention. Though she could notice from her peripheral vision people were starting to glance over at her and murmur to people near them. Taking a quiet deep breath to alleviate the anxiety, she continued walking. She walked to her locker and kneeled to her knees to apply her locked number into the dial.

"Anais? Anais!" She heard her name. Anais glanced over and noticed Cecilia marching up to her. She was wearing a white polo shirt and had on black jeans. Cecilia kneeled down beside her.

" Are you alright? I heard about what happened. But¾ how?" Cecilia was obviously worried about her; concerning she even looked a little upset.

" I'm fine, Cecilia. I…I really don't know myself." Anais said quickly before shutting her locker door and standing to her feet.

" You went to the hospital right? Did you find out if it was re-occurring or no?" Cecilia followed behind her. Anais scoffed from amusement.

" Yes, I did. And no, it wasn't re-occurring. It happened from stress." Anais said, slightly feeling a chill in her heart from the word. She had the split second wonder if it would happen again. Cecilia furrowed her eyebrows and ran up towards Anais, appearing by her side. Until then, Cecilia didn't notice until now how Anais only reached up to her half of her face.

" _Stress_?" she reiterated.

" Yeah. It happens because it affects the hormone cortisol. Though the doctors are not sure if my stress will increase seizure frequency." Anais mentioned, pausing at the door of her class.

" What class do you have?" Cecilia switched the subject abruptly, while curiously glancing into the glass of the door.

" uh…Math." Anais said, sighing. She scratched the back of her head. " What about you? She returned the question.

" I have Social studies." Cecilia remarked, still interested in her friend's class. Then she suddenly gasped. " Hey, Anais! Aren't you excited that we only have a few days left? I mean, after this week, and after next week Tuesday, we'll be off for three months!" Cecilia exclaimed. Anais managed a fraud smile, though it wasn't enough to show she was happy.

" Yeah, I guess." She said nonchalantly. Cecilia's bliss vanished, noticing the slight somber mood emanating from Anais.

" Are you okay?" Cecilia asked, more concerned.

" Yeah….I'm fine…It's just that…well, remember Darwin?" Anais began, scratching the back of her head.

" Yeah? Oh yeah! I first met him then you!…I feel a little bad that I didn't become as good as friends with him like I did with—"

" Cecilia." Anais called her, before she startled to ramble.

" Oh, right, right. Yes I remember him." Cecilia said, nodding.

"…and remember the condition he's in?"

" Yeah, I remember that…" Cecilia said.

"…..5 days left. Until he chooses." Anais said, keeping her eyes on the door. After her remark, Cecilia didn't say anything else.

" see you at lunch." Anais said, before entering her class.

· · ·

Gumball had to try to keep his clavicle undisturbed, moving it would cause more pain than there already was; the small lingering sting that never relented. Though he was interested in what he was looking at; his skeletal look of his broken clavicle from the x-ray snapshots his doctor took, which she was currently analyzing, and at the same time explaining to his mother about the situation.

" You see, the fracture didn't cause the bone to move out of place, so because of it, we don't need to do surgery." She explained, pointing at the dark pictures that hung on the wall. " Though he does need to wear an arm sling to keep it in place. Also…" She paused turning from the wall and walked back to a medical utility cart and swiped off a container of pills. What Gumball thought was slightly amusing was that they sort of ignored him as if he wasn't there. " We can prescribe you medication for his pain, like acetaminophen." She said, holding out the pills for Nicole to take.

" Okay…that's good." She said, keeping her eyes on the container. Her ears perked and she glanced back at the doctor. " So there isn't going to be any need to do any, like, implants to keep his clavicle in place?"

" no, no, that won't be necessary." She said with a smile. Nicole sighed with relief and nodded.

" Okay…" She nodded. Soon, a small smile grew on her face. " Thank you." She said.

" Also, he will need to come back as his clavicle heals, concerning his shoulder will begin to weaken. And so we can teach him elbow and shoulder exercises to regain the strength in his arm."

" Okay." Nicole replied, nodding her head. The doctor then picked up a pile of folded clothes.

" This is your sons. We washed it for him." She said, holding them out to Nicole. She took them politely and smiled.

" Thank you." Gumball said. The doctor smiled at him and slightly bowed her head.

" you're welcome." She said. She turned back to Nicole. " And you are permitted to leave at anytime you're ready." She proclaimed.

" And if you need anything, I'll be at the desk." She said, pointing out the door as she left the room. Nicole glanced down at Gumball and slowly sat down at the chair near him.

" Thankfully you won't need any surgery." Nicole said, even though he knew the knowledge from their conversation. Though Gumball nodded, showing that he acknowledged it anyway. She let out a deep breath and held his hand. " I was so worried when the school called me, saying that you had just been possessed and you might've had broken bones. But I'm glad you are okay." She said keeping her eyes set at the bed, going over the event in her head pensively. After a while, she sighed and scratched the back of her head. Glancing at her son, she smiled.

" Let's go home." She said, holding out a hand.

· · ·

Darwin was slightly happy that when Carrie didn't come to school, Anais had talked with him to share loneliness. Even if sometimes he would just listen, it was nice to have a conversation with his old family again.

Once the school bell rang jarringly, Everyone exited the class and poured into the hallway, filling it up almost completely while some of the students already began to leave for home. Darwin, however, stayed in class which brought the slight feeling of limitation of freedom and also, again, loneliness. He stayed behind on virtue of not finishing the test on time, so the teacher was nice enough to allow him to stay after school to complete his work before he turned it in for a grade.

" I'll be in my office." Ms. Mendoza said, with a nod. Her accent was somewhat bold, but it was always understandable. Darwin nodded with a smile, showing his rejoinder to her statement. Then, she walked into the room and turned on the lights. Darwin glanced back down at his paper and sighed, some of the muscles in his hand started to hurt when he always kept his hand firm when he wrote; regardless, he didn't let it hinder him as he continued to write.

After what felt like hours of time, of writing down statements and paragraphs, circling multiple choice questions and answers, Darwin occasionally relieved his hand from working, tensing up from the perpetual hand exercise, he began to massage his hyposthenia muscles in his palm to alleviate the pain. After a while of doing this, he continued on with his work. Now, going over his papers, he re-read the questions and responses to make sure everything was right. Ms. Mendoza came out of her office and locked the door with the jingling keys in her hand. She was wearing her coat she brought to school, this morning it was a little cold.

" Are you finished?" She asked.

" yeah, I'm just about done." Darwin replied, standing up from his seat. He approached her and gave her his test and she smiled.

" Thank you." She said, while neatly placing them inside her purse. " I'll just grade these once I get home." She mentioned, afterwards chuckling. They both departed the room at the same time, though she stayed behind to lock the door. Darwin sighed, slightly relieved and annoyed of how _now_ he was able to leave. Darwin put away his school supplies in his locker and then shut it closed. He began to leave and he pushed open the school entrance doors into the brightly lit outside, where the sunset's rays always hit against the front school. He began to descend down the stairs when he noticed a figure in his peripheral vision. He glanced up and was slightly shocked to see Gumball a few feet away from him. Also adding to the sight was that he had an arm sling. He was a sleeveless black shirt with dark blue jeans.

" Hi." He said simply, smiling.

"….Hi." Darwin replied, his mouth slightly ajar. " You're…You're out of the hospital—already?" Darwin asked, a smile growing on his face.

" Yeah.." Gumball shrugged with one shoulder. Darwin scoffed and shook his head. Though he couldn't help but glance at Gumball's clavicle.

" um…does your collar bone hurt?" He asked curiously.

" Oh…" Gumball said, and then glanced down at himself as if a reminder of what he felt. " No, not really." He said, looking back up. " Wanna walk?" He then asked, pointing behind him, and Darwin smiled to this.

" Okay, yeah."

After a long small talk-like conversation, Darwin was actually enjoying himself to talk like this; it's been awhile since he last talked to one of his best friends. Which in turn felt wrong to consider Gumball that; he still contained the memories and the nostalgia to call him a brother, but the truth would always isolate that opinion, which always made him more flustered on what to consider them to him in a relationship.

Gumball glanced down and sniffled.

" Hey…Dude, I was…uh, I was wondering about something…It's kinda been on my mind for a while." He said, glancing up from the sidewalk. Though he kept his vision away from Darwin's eyes. Darwin furrowed his eyebrows from slight concern, wondering why his behavior along his demeanor changed.

" What is it?" He asked.

" I…" Gumball paused and took a silent deep breath, " I want you to come back." Gumball said, and ceased walking. Darwin stopped after a few steps ahead of him and kept looking forward. For a reason, he was astonished he would ask this.

"…please, I want—It's not the same without you there…If you're still angry at me for punching you, than I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

" Gumball…the pressure is already enough…" Darwin said, glancing back at him. " It's already enough that I have to choose! If I choose you, what about Rosalind? If I choose her, what about your family?"

" _Our_ family…" Gumball said, feeling slightly worried and fearful that he had changed his sentence. Darwin's eyes turned to a solemn hard look and he exhaled through his nostrils.

" The reason why….I'm living with Carrie…is so that I can make it fair; so that I can't have favorites. I love you, just as much as I love Rosalind. But that doesn't matter; Within 5 days, Gumball! 5 days I have to choose who I live with…" Darwin exclaimed, the poisonous anger rising within him once again. "…I can't come back, Gumball…I just can't—"

" Why can't you choose us then?" Gumball replied. Darwin could only grimace at his question; becoming slightly disgusted at his greed.

" Are you really going to be that selfish?" Darwin retorted, not even considering to answer the question he had asked. Gumball slightly flinched from his response and his eyes widened. Darwin could see the water gathering. With a sigh, he turned around and began to walk, until Gumball grabbed unto his hand.

" Please…I…I want things to be normal again…please come back." Gumball begged with a quiet whimper. Darwin kept his eyes set on the ground. With one last response, Darwin replied.

" No…." And after that he snatched his hand away and continued walking away. Guilt began to sink into his heart, but he swallowed hard and continue on, knowing that he couldn't let emotions get in the way of his final decision. After a far distance, Darwin could hear his sobs, his quiet sobs of echoes that lingered on into his ears that eventually made him stop. Never had he made him cry, and the feeling it shot into him wasn't pleasant either. But he held his head high, and took a deep breath, and like usual, continued walking…_home_.

· · ·

Penny was reading a book, with her leg over the other while she was reading. It came only sub-consciously to her that it was raining outside, pattering against the rooftop and her windows, which also brought the cold icy aura into the house, after the glass windows stopped magnifying the heat from the rays that was let out from the sun. Penny turned the page and began shifting her eyes from word to word, becoming very intrigued by the book. Then the door bell rang, echoing throughout the house. She stood up and placed a book mark and dropped it on her bed. Exiting her room, she pattered down the soft rug stairs and approached the door. She was slightly startled to see her boyfriend, completely doused from the rain.

" Gumball?" She gasped. She tried to get a closer look, concerning how dark it was already. He only looked up from the ground slowly, and his eyes were slightly red.

" Can I come in?"

* * *

"….uh huh…yeah…he had his backpack with him….yes, yeah, I…yeah, he had them in his back pack as well, I think.." She said, decreasing her voice volume at the end of her sentence; because she really had no clue if he had brought his medication. " Well…He just arrived about…what, 10 minutes ago? Yeah…so…yeah, he was wondering If he could spend the night." Penny asked, twirling the phone wire around her index. "…okay, yeah…alright, thanks." She said, smiling. Penny put the phone back on the receiver and walked down the stairs again. " She said it would be alright." Penny informed Gumball, who was standing on the rug at the front door. He only nodded and sniffled, his hair dripping on the rug. She sucked the corner of her lip and approached him.

" C'mon. Let me help you change out of those clothes." She said, grabbing his hand and walking him to her room. Then, she retrieved some of her more boyish clothes that were suitable for him; a dry rugby shirt that was red and black. And a pair of grey sweat pants. She turned off the light from her closet room and left.

" Here." She said, plopping them down on her bed. " Let me…help you take off you're cast…thing." She said, referring to his arm sling. She undid the fastened sling from the adhesive part and unwrapped it from his neck and upper back. He flinched and inhaled sharply through his gritted teeth.

" Sorry." She said, knowing that she hurt him. She gently placed it at the bed, and he kept his arm in place as if he still had it on. Then, with a little tenure of nervousness, began to take his wet shirt off. Trying her best to keep her eyes set on her goal, and to not let herself get sidetracked, she carefully removed it over his head and placed it on her drawer. She grabbed a towel and helped him dry off his torso. She then began to dry off his hair, rubbing furiously to increase the friction. Afterwards, his hair was disheveled and then she helped put on the rugby shirt.

"…And…the pants." Gumball said quietly, looking down at his wet jeans that were weighing down against his legs. Penny's heart raced.

" No…" Penny said, walking back from him. " I…I can't…" She said, waving her hands in defense.

" What? Why?" He asked, glancing up at her.

" I…It would put me in a…awkward position." She said, trying to make up an excuse.

"…Well it shouldn't be too bad, I'm your boyfriend—"

" I know, I know…I just need some time…to get…used to things." She said, scratching her head. Penny sighed, having the guilty feeling of wanting to do this; but she let the morale of her get the better of her opinions.

" I'll…get my dad." She said, walking out of the room.

" What? No, wait, don't get your dad!—"

" I'll be back." Penny said as she left the room. She knew she would be putting her boyfriend in the most awkward place, and would definitely mortify him, but she couldn't do it herself, too afraid that her emotions would play against her, and lead to something she never wanted.

After a few good space of 20 minutes, Gumball finally exited the room, his face slightly red as he walked down the stairs.

" You okay?" She asked, looking up from her book.

" I…I'm…." Gumball said, slightly nodding. "…okay." He began to approached her and she glanced back down at the page. He sat slowly next to her and stayed silent. After a while, it began to concern her. She memorized the last words of the sentence she read and the page number before placing the bookmark and placing it aside on the coffee table. She moved closer to him and leaned forward.

" What's wrong?" She asked. Gumball glanced at her and sniffled.

" Nothing….I'm fine." He said.

" When you came here, you were crying. You're not fine. What's wrong?" She repeated. Gumball sighed and rested his palms against his face.

"….5 days are left, Penny…and then…" He paused, letting the information tell about the situation instead of himself. "…Darwin…he… I don't know if he will choose us, I made him mad at me." He admitted, partly ashamed at himself from his past actions.

" Don't think about that, Gumball." She said, resting her head on his left shoulder. " Even if you did make him angry, don't be pessimistic." Penny said, trying to soothe his sorrow.

" I love you Penny." He said, gasping as he started to sob. Penny was slightly startled, but she smiled when she felt that he rested his head against hers.

" I love you too.

After a while, Penny began reading again once she had reassured Gumball and comforted him. After ready at least 7 more pages, She didn't realize until now that she was starting to feel drowsy. She yawned and was about to stretch her arms until she stopped from the weight; Gumball had fallen asleep on her shoulder and she completely forgot about it. Penny smiled, and gave him a slight peck on his forehead. Then, she continued reading, regardless when she knew she was bound to fall asleep.

· · ·

Mr. Fitzgerald put on his jacket, as it continued raining outside.

" Honey! Where are you going?" Mrs. Fitzgerald shouted, seeing her husband leave the bedroom.

" Hold on Cheryl, I have to use the bathroom." He said, before stopping.

"…oh wait, I forgot my keys." He said, turning around and walking back to the room. Cheryl groaned and arched her arms and placed her hands on her hips as she watched her husband put on his black leather jacket and search the drawers around the room.

" Ian! hurry up, we're going to be late for the movie!" Mrs. Fitzgerald rushed.( I'm going to make up their names.. ) She was wearing her black simple dress, which complimented her dark blue jacket but she had a hard look on her face.

" Hold on, Honey, I'm almost ready." He said, glancing back as he buffered his collar. " I think I'm forgetting something." Ian looked back and looked around the room.

" Movie starts in 19 minutes." She reminded. Ian turned around and approached her.

" It does? We have time, honey." He said, buttoning his jacket. "Besides. All we're going to miss is the previews." He reminded her, having a small smile. She sighed and shook her head.

" I want to be able to buy some food." She said, walking over to the dresser and picking out her clutch.

" _Food_? The food is too expensive at the theater, honey." He said, looking back into the mirror.

" I'm not talking about theater food…" She said, soon a smile grew on her face. He saw her face through the reflection of the mirror, which she looked at him through it as well.

" Oh…you mean steal food in?" He said, nodding.

" It's not stealing…it's only smuggling." She said, laughing as she walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

" Yeah…" He laughed as well. After that he landed a kiss on her and walked to the dresser again.

" Should I wear a bow tie?" He asked, bringing out a fancy, petite counterfeit black bow tie.

" No! honey, we're going to the movies, for goodness sake! And I don't want you to where those cheap bow ties…why do you keep buying them?" She asked, slightly annoyed about his suggestion.

" Because they make me look…." He paused and turned around to face her with dramatic effect." _**Fancy**_." He said, with a troll smile. She groaned and rolled her eyes as she left the room, and he began laughing. " I'm just kidding, hon." Ian undid the bow and put it back inside the drawer, and closed it.

" I'm ready!" He shouted.

" Did you use the bathroom?" Cheryl shouted back. Ian's eyes widened; it completely slipped his mind.

" Not ready!" Ian said, as he rushed to the bathroom.

Afterwards, Ian washed his hands and dried them on a towel. He opened the door and Cheryl approached him.

" Honey, C'mere." She said, slightly whispering it.

" What?" He asked.

" Shhhh." She put her index in front of her lips, as she lead him down the stairs. Soon the brought him to the living room, where she showed him the little couple that was sleeping together on the couch. Penny had her head rested against the armrest, and a book was lying beside her stomach as she slept on her back, and Gumball had his head rested against the front of her shoulder and his arm over her stomach.

" Isn't that just adorable." Mrs. Fitzgerald remarked quietly.

" Yeah…" He said, approaching them and he set the spare house key against the coffee table.

" Let's go." He said, and they left the house.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Gumball woke up with the slight feeling of lethargy already hitting his senses. He groaned slightly and slowly sat up from his uncomfortable reclined state; and the stinging pain had brushed over his body and he let out a gasp; he forgot about his broken collar bone.

" Gumball?" A voice chimed from the kitchen, over the sound of sizzling. Penny looked over from the wall, having a greased spatula in her hand. " Are you okay? She asked with concern. Gumball nodded, moving more slowly to avoid hurting himself.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine.." He said, sitting up and he felt a layer of cloth roll off his torso; a jacket that he presumed that must've been placed upon him from the cold night. Penny walked over to him and sat down beside him.

" I'm making breakfast—"

" Penny!" Gumball interrupted from the startling information that had just raced across his mind. He whipped around and glanced over at the display of light from the outside; a bright blue signaling that it was far past 6 o'clock. " We'll late!" He exclaimed, shooting up to his feet. And then a wave of dizziness disoriented him as he tried to walk to his shoes and the numbness caused him to sit back down at the couch. Penny began laughing.

" You got up too fast, that's why you're dizzy. Also, It's Saturday. Weekend. Remember?" She said, shaking her head from amusement as she strolled back into the kitchen and continued cooking.

" Right…" Gumball drawled, still being effected from the disequilibrium. After taking a few moments of staying in one place, Gumball stood up again and sighed, rubbing his temples that now slightly hurt. He walked over to the kitchen and the sweet aroma delighted his nose; the very smell of French toast always made his mouth water. Gumball crept beside her and rested his head against her shoulder.

" Well, good morning to you." She said, as if a reply. She chuckled and slid the spatula under a slice of toast and flipped it to the opposite side, giving it the opportunity to cook completely.

" I'm so glad I'm with you." Gumball said, sighing. Penny glanced over at him with notably raised eyebrows.

" Really?" She said, a little surprised. After he nodded to show he was sincere, She smiled and kissed his cheek. " Well, I'm glad you are." She said, her smile brightening her face. Though she turned her attention back to the pan, and it disappeared.

" These are ready." She said, turning the dial on the stove until it was off. She slid two slices of French toast on a prearranged plate, accompanying the prepped eggs and bacon as it fell on them. She as well did the same on top of another plate, only sliding one off, and let the other continue to cook on the pan from the residual heat.

" Go ahead and eat." She said, welcoming him to comfort himself in the house. He sat his plate at the dark varnished table in the kitchen. He was lucky that he had broken his left collar bone; knowing that he wouldn't be able to do much if it was his right.

Gumball picked out a fork and slid it from the dishwasher and sat at the table, cutting at his French toast with the side of the tines. He inserted it into his mouth; it wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. Why he was critiquing her culinary skills was only by the spark of memory of his mothers cooking; where she was more professional. Nevertheless, he still liked it.

" So?" Penny began. " How do you like it?" Gumball swallowed the bit in his mouth and contemplated a word, or a sentence to try and express his opinion. Though with the complexity, he gave up and cleared his throat.

" It's good." He said, though he had a nervous chill; taking that long of a time to answer would've of sparked confusion or doubt in her. Something that would take some explaining. Though she laughed.

" That bad?" she asked, continuing to cook her last slice.

" I didn't say that." Gumball said in defense.

" Yeah, well, your silence spoke the truth for me." She said; and he knew she would have a smile on her face if he were to be looking at her.

" Silence can't speak." Gumball decided to remark; instead to continue on to try and push his reasoning. Penny scoffed.

" It was supposed to be used as a metaphor." She said, and he heard the abrasion of her crisp toast sliding off the pan and hit against her plate. She walked and sat at the right side of the table beside him. Picking up the bottle of syrup, she glanced over at his plate, blinked and looked into his eyes.

" No syrup?" She asked, slightly surprised.

" I don't like it…" He said, taking another bite of his breakfast. She blinked again and dismissed it, pouring a copious amount of syrup onto her plate, which in turn, made Gumball slightly curve his mouth.

" That's a lot." He had to say. She began chewing and then she furrowed her eyebrows.

" As a matter of fact…" She said, her speech partly slurred. She formed a fist to her mouth and swallowed. " How's Anais?" She asked curiously, changing the subject; last time she recalled she had a seizure, which she could tell was an unprecedented event. Gumball thought about her question for awhile and glanced back into her eyes.

" She's doing fine." He said casually, picking up the branch of bacon and crunched at the end of it.

" That's good." Penny said, picking at her eggs. " I remember seeing her in the hospital when you first arrived there, but it completely slipped my mind to ask her." She explained, looking at the wall as she remembered her presence there. Gumball only nodded, not knowing whether to reply.

"…You know, I'm sorry about the eggs. They're not completely cooked." She said with a disappointed sigh, directed at herself. She stood from the table and separated the eggs from her plate unto a saucer and placed into the microwave.

" I thought they were fine." He said, having the sudden urge to look down at his plate to see if they were runny.

" Well, my eggs aren't cooked." She said, walking back to the table and sat down. She rested her palm against her chin and her other hand tapped at the table rhythmically in order.

After a few moments the timer went off, and Penny stood and approached the microwave and took out her saucer. Repositioning it back to her plate, Penny sat back down at the table, while Gumball put away his plate into the sink and turned the faucet on to wash off his plate.

" Do you think Darwin has…like, relatives?" Penny asked. Gumball looked up from the sink and was dumbfounded. After a while he glanced at her, curious of the subject as well.

" Do you mean like, cousins and uncles?" Darwin said.

" mm hmm." She hummed. Gumball blinked and turned off the faucet.

" Maybe I could ask him." He remarked, drying off the plate and sliding it into the cupboards. Then, a though raced across his mind, suddenly taking his interest and most of his attention.

" Penny." Gumball began. She looked up from her plate, while chewing on her toast.

" Yeah?"

"…Not that it's any of my business…but…" Gumball glanced over to her and had a slight reluctance to ask the question, partly from her reaction.

" What is it?" she asked, a little concerned.

" Who do you want…Darwin to stay with?" He asked carefully.

"….what? Why do you want to know about—"

" Please…just answer the question." Gumball said, sitting back down at the table and cradling her hands into his. She had a slight annoyed look; he knew how much it bothered her to be interrupted. Penny sighed and shook her head.

" I don't know." She said, exhaling through her nostrils. Though Gumball saw right through her lie.

" Tell me." Gumball said, for a reason he urged to know, and in the back of his head hoping that it wasn't the answer he wanted.

" No." Penny said, taking her hands away from his.

" Penny, please. I just want to know."

" I want him to stay with Rosalind. There, happy?" Penny claimed, slightly raising her voice. The name echoed in his head, and it left him speechless for the amount of time he kept remembering her verse. " She's his grandma, Gumball…" She added, putting her hands in her pockets, and she protruded her hip as she leaned on her left leg. " It's best if he goes with his relatives—"

" What about _us_?" Gumball asked, having the same feeling he had when he asked Darwin. Penny furrowed her eyebrows from dubiety.

" What about _you_?" Penny retorted, perhaps offering a lot more force in her reply than she intended. Gumball haltered his breathing, slightly from the irony of how he got the same answer twice when he expected different. Which also made him feel guilty and sad, adding to his emotions. Gumball stood up and walked over to his shoes.

" My mom probably wants me home now." He lied. He kept his socks balled in his hand and tossed them into the space of his sling.

" Gumball, look—"

" I'll see you later." He said, opening the door and departing from her house.

" Gumball!" Penny called, but he didn't falter in his walking to stop and glance back at her. Instead, he continued walking off, knowing that she as well didn't like to be ignored, but for this time and this time only, he could care less.

· · ·

Anais, particularly today, felt lazy. Mainly because it was prone to happen on a Saturday, but it was more than usual. Almost like what her father would used to do, she sat in front of the TV, eyelids lying heavily against her eyes, her leg spread out the cushion while the other her foot on the floor, and her head resting against the lower back rest of the couch and surfing through channels to see if there was anything good to watch.

Why she was letting her mind waste away and her intelligence be insulted by the dumb TV shows she found, not to mention that she was watching _TV_; it would rot her brain, and which would obviously be her last resort to do any sort of fun, was beyond her. Also the fact that television in her opinion nowadays had no stimulation abilities existing to ever make their TV shows interesting.

The sound of rapping knuckles against their wooden door though made her gasp quietly and her eyes widen. She rubbed her eyes and stood up from her indolent state and walked to the door. Anais opened it and noticed Gumball was back early.

" Hi." She said briefly, letting him inside the house. He took off his shoes and placed them into the closet, and after realizing she greeted him, he turned to her.

" Hey.." He said indifferently, while strolling upstairs. Anais scrutinized his clothes, taking notice of how they had no familiarity with her memory.

" Hey, who's clothes are those? And where's your backpack?" She asked. The question stopped him dead in his tracks. With an exasperated sigh, he raised his hand to his face and placed his index finger and his thumb on his radix. The act already spoke for itself; he forgot them.

" Well…She doesn't live far, you can just walk back and get them—"

" No." He said firmly. Anais was caught off guard by his claim, leaving her speechless for a moment before swallowing.

" I'm sure she won't mind."

" Yeah she will." Gumball retorted, walking back down the stairs. Instead of carrying on and trying to act like she was oblivious of his actions which explained that they might've gotten into a fight, she shrugged it off.

" mmkay." She said and went with her instincts and walked back to the couch and lied back down again. She played the program and continued watching. Hearing the creaks of the wood groaning, Anais moved her legs as she saw at the corner of her eye Gumball approaching the couch. With a sigh, he sat down as the couch sunk under his weight.

" What are you watching?" He asked, watching the scenes of the educational show pass by.

" A cooking channel." Anais said, very indifferently. The show wasn't very abundant with useful information, and neither was it very compelling either.

" When do you watch cooking channels?" Gumball asked, shifting in his seat as he wasn't very impressed by the show either.

" Now." She said. Then, the conversation fell into silence, stretching between the entire room only filled with the chatter and music that the program played. After a while, there were those occasional sighs and throat clearings, but nothing was shared among them. Gumball, however, finally sat up straight and glanced over at Anais; this gave her a slight feeling that he wanted to talk about something.

" Hey…so, how's…how were your visits?" Gumball began.

" What do you mean?" Anais questioned.

" Well…." He paused, scratching at his cheek. Anais leaned over the couch and picked up the remote off the ground and paused the show. " Your visit's with your psychologist? How have they been" He annexed, slightly disconcerted.

"….They've been alright…" She said, keeping her eyes at the TV.

" Oh…so...uh, what did—uh, did you find out anything?" Gumball asked. Anais observed his eyes for a while, perplexed slightly of why he wanted to know. Though like usual, he looked away from her eye sight, not being able to look people in the eye directly.

" I found out that my nightmares are caused by my stress…which I already knew; but nothing more than that. I was getting worked up all about why these nightmares are about death. Also the one in class, my little _episode_…" She paused and scoffed at the word. " was also nothing more than a nightmare, plus my seizure caused by stress. Everything that happened to me was by stress." Anais said, still feeling a little incredulous about the situation. Gumball glanced back at her, as she kept her gaze at the carpet.

"…So…Everything is fine now? I presume?" Gumball asked, which was more of an assumption. For a while, She didn't respond; her mind consuming her thoughts and thinking pensively about the past months. " Anais?" Gumball called concerned. She blinked and came back to reality, glancing over at him. Completely clueless of what he had just asked or said.

" Yes?"

"…Is everything okay?" Gumball asked, this time not pertaining to the psychologist situation, but more of the time of now. Anais nodded and sat up on the couch, straightening her back.

" uh huh….I'm fine." she said, managing a small smile. Though Gumball's look of suspicion and concern remained. But Anais neglected it and played the program again, now gaining a considerable amount of time to fast-forward through commercials. " Let's just watch this, okay?" She remarked, now trying to change the subject. With a sigh through his nostrils, Gumball faced back towards the screen.

**Two days later**

Darwin was getting ready for school today, even though his stomach was turned upside down from anxiety. But he waited for Carrie to get ready, sitting at the couch in the living room with a constant knee bounce. Every other day they were getting closer, now only left with two days. Darwin tried to preoccupy his mind, worried only because of his actions he thought of ahead of time. He had set things in order to work things out; A way that might help him. Not necessarily the others. Something that might settle the score. But unsure how he would execute it. That was the problem; was figuring how to make things run in order.

Darwin sighed and glanced at the mail that they received yesterday; still lying on the coffee table apoplectic and untouched by hands. Though something caught his eye. He removed his hand from his lap and reached for the flier, displaying an order for free tickets. And for three seconds, he could feel his heart sink from the information. He stroked the paper flier in his sweaty hands.

" Darwin." Carrie called, making him jump and in sequence tear the paper. Carrie flinched and her hand ran to her ajar mouth. " Are…you okay?" she asked concerned.

" You scared me." Darwin said, chuckling as he looked down in his hand, which struck a chill in his body.

" Sorry…I just wanted to tell you that we should go now." Carrie said, fixing her bangs behind her ear.

" Oh…okay." Darwin replied, with a nod. He stood and looked back at the torn paper in his hand and set it down…temporarily. Carrie opened the door and floated outside.

" Coming?" She asked, keeping her hand on the door knob.

" Yes, I just need to get some things." He said, with a slight nervous grin. She nodded and closed the door. Leaving him to pick up the torn piece of information and crumbling it into his pocket. With a cough he waited inside the house for a few moments to make up the act he was actually acquiring items until he decided it was about right to leave the house. He closed the door behind him and locked it with the spare house key; not that they could die with the exception of him, but it still lingered in their conscious to keep things locked. Also as well as the want to keep their things.

" Let's go." He said, walking towards her as they left for school.

**This one is a little shorter, I know, but I was kinda in a rush, so I did the two days part thing to try and hurry the story along. So I hope you enjoy, and see ya in the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Sooo sorry about that pause; because of school, I haven't been able to type much because of the ridiculous amount of homework and other things, I lost my internet connection for a few days as well- it's just a mess. Anyways, here you go! And again, sorry about that long pause…**

Even as thought provoking and how pensive required school was, Darwin was always on edge, always receiving the dormant thoughts of anxiety and pessimism. And the slight feeling of the paper occupying his pocket at the current moment fueled his nervousness. He took a deep breath and forced his muscles in his aching hand to move to his command, beginning to write once again after his repetitive breaks. He was writing a test; a multiple choice one at that. Which required a lot of thinking and precise answers to get a good grade in Ms. Simian's class. It was prone someone would notice his behavior, someone would tap his should and wonder about his health; he had the contained feeling of paranoia. This was bizarre even for him; the amount of energy running through his nerves and veins left him rapid breathing. Darwin already knew the answer to why he was nervous, but to this extent even worried him.

Before he knew it, he reached to the end of his quiz. He swallowed hard and checked over his answers; he was sub-consciously filling in the bubbles as he was too worried over himself, and to his surprise, he got the answers he felt most comfortable were correct.

" 5 minutes." Ms. Simian spoke out, her voice reaching deep into the ears of those who weren't even half way finished and which they began to rush. Darwin licked his dry lips and stood up from his seat, and approached the front desk. He gently placed his paper where the other ones were and turned around.

" _Darwin_." Ms. Simian's voice crept behind him, making him jump from her harsh tone. He turned his head and with a quiet _yes?_, he responded. Her eyes immediately flitted to the paper, and he realized he had forgotten to write his name, which sent a reassuring yet uneasy chill around his body. Darwin took his pencil from his pocket and scribed his name upon the line. Soon, he pocketed his implement and headed back to his seat.

The minutes that passed only felt like mere seconds, trying to keep himself under his command over his emotions proved to bring time to fast forward almost; the bell rang.

Darwin stood up along with the others who completed their tests, while some of them groaned from the fact they couldn't finish in time. Darwin was the first to walk out, but he wasn't headed for lunch; eating while his stomach was upset would most likely cause a sickening stir. Instead, he headed for the school porch. Where he could receive fresh air. Which was also the benefit of having a principal's pass; he'd be able to go to any fast-food restaurant during lunch or his off periods, that is, if he had any.

Darwin opened the school front doors and walked onto campus. He meandered a bit to regain his control over his thoughts as well as daydreaming in the process.

After a while of walking around, he sat down at a blue bench, one of the colors of their school.

" Darwin." A voice called him. Darwin glanced to his side and noticed Anais was approaching him.

" Oh, hi Anais." Darwin said with a smile.

" You didn't eat lunch." She remarked, her eyebrows slightly furrowing. He nodded to her claim and began to tap his fingers at the table.

" I know…I was just feeling a little sick, And I need fresh air." He said sitting up in his seat. She blinked and thought about his sentence. With a sigh she looked back up at him,

" That's not why I'm here." Anais said, putting her hands in her pocket with her thumbs out. Darwin glanced back at her face.

" What did you want to talk about?" He asked, trying to assert a curiosity in his voice to try and remove the dormant stir of nervousness in his system. With a sigh, she dug her hand into her right pocket. Pulling out the paper that was once in her pocket. Darwin's eyes immediately widened and he stood up, and tried to take the small paper from her hand but, but with a quick reflex she moved her hand out of the way and held it in her fist.

" That's mine—"

" Where did you get it?" She asked with a firm voice.

" That's what I should be asking you." Darwin retorted. Anais scoffed.

" It fell out of your pocket during Ms. Simian's class, when you took out your pencil to write your name." She said. " I picked it up for you, but then I realized this is a _coupon_ for the _airport_." Anais said, her voice becoming swell with anger.

" It doesn't matter what it is, I want it back."

" What are you going to do with it? Were you planning on leaving?" Anais asked. Darwin take a breath, going to speak but only nothing came out. His silence would give away the truth, but his tongue felt tangled. With a sigh, Anais shook her head.

" Why?" She said, more melancholy now. " I know that it's hard on you, but….to-to do this?" Anais tried to refrain the tears in her eyes.

" That's just the thing, Anais…." Darwin said, slipping the coupon out of her hand, which she willingly let him do. " You don't know how hard it is for me." He said, and without another word, he left her presence. But for a reason, he felt bad. The feeling of guilt and regret that would only appear if he lied; but yet for once he told the truth. That's when Darwin started to contemplate when he was walking away. _Was the truth, the best choice in this case?_

· · ·

The time was clicking down, and it was already 3:50. Richard fit on his old, white dress shirt he remembered he always wore. How much it seemed to have become bigger; throughout the summer he lost a few pounds, which was displayed in the mirror while he tried to try on his old shirt which proved to be too big. For once, he thought he could look in the mirror and not think that he was lazy; for once he lost some weight.

Regardless, he wrapped on his belt and put on his shoes. In the middle of tying the laces. The sudden feeling of touch that he felt against his shoulder made him jump. He turned back to see his wife, Nicole with a slight confused face.

" Where are you going?" She asked curiously. Richard sat up from his kneeling position and faced her.

" I'm going to talk to Darwin. It's about time I got off my ass and did something for once." He said, with a slight stern voice directed at himself.

" Honey, don't be so harsh on yourself." Nicole said, placing her hand on his cheek. " what are you going to talk to him about?" She said, giving him a hug.

" The truth. Of how I don't care which family he chooses. It's the only way it could alleviate the weight on his shoulders." He said, wrapping his arms around her. A pause emanate from her; Richard knew well enough that he shared his opinion with no one. Nicole sighed and rubbed his back.

" Just…remember to show no anger…He doesn't like it when people are angry at—"

" I know.." He said, pecking her cheek. With a nod, she whispered okay. And after a moment of watching each others eyes, he turned and exited the house. Going inside his car, her twisted the keys and turned on the engine. With a moment to concentrate, he sighed and veered into the street. _I can't mess this up._ Richard thought.

· · ·

Once the bell rung, the day slipped out of Darwin's grasp once again; He couldn't believe that it was already time for him to leave. With a sigh, this time with slight disappointment, he exited his class, being the last one out from the conjugation at the entry of the door way, and headed for his locker in the crowded hallways, filled with chatter and talk. Darwin opened his locker door and placed his backpack inside, for once not receiving homework was actually relieving. He removed the lanyard from his neck, containing his ID, and he hung it on the locker hanger, afterwards, he shut the door. Standing up, he fissured through the crowd and made his way out of the building, and continued his way down the steps, along with the chatter spilling on into the outside as well.

There was also a great temperature rise which threw a wall of extremely humid and hot air in his face. With a groan, Darwin continued. He put an arm over his brow and looked up from the concrete ground, and stopped in his tracks. The familiar, lime green car had been parked, along with Richard, who was know approaching him.

" Darwin." He called. He remained slightly paralyzed, mainly because he'd never seen his..._father_, for the longest time. Darwin cleared his throat and approached him, more slowly.

"...Richard?" Darwin said, but he felt the wrong of the word stab at his mind; calling his once-father by his name still held it's attributes of disrespect. Before Darwin could comprehend, He felt embraced by his bulky arms and wrapped into his warm body, which only left him wide eyed and slightly embarrassed. But at the same time, comforted, and...welcomed.

" I haven't seen you for so long." Richard said weakly. " My, it's felt like years." He remarked. Darwin, acting on impulse, hugged him back as well. After a while, Richard sighed and released his grip upon him.

" Darwin, there's something I've been needing to tell you." Richard began, placing his hands on his shoulders. Darwin looked at his face; becoming more serious now.

" I know from all the trouble you've went through, all of the pain...I know I can't have even a glimpse of what that's like, and how...how I can't compare." Richard said, his eyes remaining focused on Darwin's.

" And I'm sorry that...this burden was set upon you...I would've never wished for this to happen." He lowered his head, taking a deep breath from the gathering of emotions. With a sniffle, Richard looked back up.

" Richard...It wasn't your fault." Darwin mentioned, shaking his head. Even partially from the reason that he called him by his name again.

" I know.." He responded. He sighed again and he stroked his cheek with his knuckles. " I need you to know that..." Richard paused, his eyes scrutinizing the detail on his face. " That no matter what...I'll always love you...No matter who you choose; You'll always be my son." Richard said. And this made Darwin's heart flutter, as well as skip a beat. For once he felt a feeling of relief...and _joy_. For once, someone didn't care of which side he chose; which family. In his eyes, Richard's, he was still the same person— Still the beloved child that he considered son. And he wished that the others would be like him.

"... You don't?" Darwin responded, his voice failing him as his throat closed up from sorrow and happiness.

" No." Richard said, shaking his head slowly. With the awkward silence about to bring up, Richard sighed and gave him another hug, trying to manifest is love. Richard swallowed hard as he let go, and a small tense of fear kindled in his heart; knowing his further statement would make the rest of his family unhappy.

" In fact...Darwin." Richard began, looking down at his grouped hands. Darwin glanced up at him, slightly wondering. " I...I actually...I prefer it...I prefer it if you..." Richard faltered, and wiped his brow. Darwin slightly furrowed his eyebrows.

" Are you okay?" He asked, noticing the change in his mood and his increase in nervousness.

" I prefer it if you _choose_ Rosalind." Richard said, now stroking his fingers together. Darwin's heart stopped, holding his breath as his mouth was now ajar. Richard glanced up at him, into his eyes.

" No matter what you'll be my son. Rosalind is your grandmother; your bloodline. It took me some time to get to this conclusion." Richard coughed and was now fully looking at him. Darwin's eyes was searching his face, for an answer If what he was saying was true.

" I finally realized that this situation was tearing you apart; from families you love very much. I couldn't stand to be a part of it; yet even if I didn't want to, I _was_ part of it." He stood up more straight now, with his hands in his pockets. " So I chose the logical choice, the moral choice to let you be with your real family..." He ended with a sigh, as tears reared into his eyes, and he blinked as one slid down. " I will always love you...I took care of you ever since you were young." Richard said softly, his voice breaking from emotion, And Darwin began to feel tears well in his eyes as well. " But...Your grandmother needs you more. She's been through so much. And she's finally found her grandson; whom she dearly loves." He said, while being embraced by Darwin once more. Darwin squeezed his arms around him, for once in a dramatized daze about this; He never knew Richard like this type of man. His reverence for him only exalted. But yet it saddened him; His plans, the ticket still in his grasp, under the folds of his pocket. Darwin knew it what consequences would outcome of this. But yet...he still had the clinging, unrelenting will to complete it; not matter how much he hated it.

" Don't tell the others." Richard whisper into Darwin's ear, the warmth of his breath surfacing the outface of his ear. Darwin sniffled and let go, wiping his eyes. Richard glanced up from behind Darwin, and he got the intention that Gumball and Anais were approaching. Darwin turned around and caught both of their gazes, their looks not containing as much as the welcome, heartfelt feeling as Richards.

" Hi." Darwin could only manage saying, trying to act casually as possible. Gumball said a small _hey_ and entered into the car, while Anais glanced away from him with slightly red eyes. Darwin could tell that she'd been sobbing. Darwin nodded to Richard and bid farewell, and he entered the car. The car engined started up, and he watched them drive away, Darwin still in a somewhat daze. With a sigh to refocus himself from his mind, he turned around and headed to Carrie's house.

• • •

At the arrival at Carrie's house, Darwin unlocked the door with the spare key he had and let himself inside, and with a sigh he dropped himself on the couch from the tiring day. He heard the sound of wind whoosh inside the hallway and Eva appeared into the living room, her face becoming lit with a smile.

" Darwin, you're home." She said. Soon after noticing her daughter wasn't, she looked around the vicinity, and back a him with a more concerned face. " Where's Carrie?" She asked curiously.

" Detention." He said, sitting up more formally. Eva sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

" Really hoping I wouldn't have to do dishes today." She said, clicking her tongue. Soon, she laughed at her own joke.

" I'm just kidding." She said, justifying herself. Eva floated into the kitchen and began to pick up dishes around the table and place them into the dish washer in an orderly fashion.

" Oh, by the way." Eva began, taking a quick glance at him, then back at her work. "...Ro...Rosy? I believe her name is...She came by today." Eva said. Darwin furrowed his eyebrows; not recognizing the sound of the name at all.

" Um...Rosalind?" Darwin corrected. Even by knowing who she was, the behavior of coming t this house; the information surprised him.

" Yes! That one." She hooted. " She came by...And..." Eva floated towards him, having a plate in hand. " She wanted me to tell you something."

She came by and sat down beside him, and set the plate down at the coffee table, and placed her hands on her lap.

"What was it?" Darwin asked. With an uncertain sigh, Rosalind looked at his eyes.

" I don't know why she didn't come by your school, and it's none of my business...but..." Evangeline bit her lower lip. "...She told me to tell you that...she wanted you to choose the Wattersons." Eva said carefully. Darwin's eyes widened, and he glanced at her eyes. He felt his rate started to pulse faster from his speeding emotions. The hurt in his chest, and the overwhelming confusion. Knowing that she created damage, She reluctantly continued, not wanting to add salt to the wound.

" She explained that...She'd seen how happy they make you...and that, you've known them longer...And that she would only make things harder for you if she were to continue." Evangeline looked away now, contemplating her words as she stared mindless at the wall; as if she never thought the meaning of them until now. Within the silence between them, Eva stood slowly and took the plate into her hands and continued back to the kitchen, leaving Darwin in his haze. Now Darwin understood the meaning of his coupon. How much harder...everything just now became. He knew they only tried to alleviate his stress, and the pressure. But unknowing, they only _added_ to it. Darwin's lower lip trembled, having the desire to please them both only became so much harder. And he knew that his idea would only depress them.

Eva heard his chocked sobs, stifling them under his breath. She sighed quietly while in the kitchen, knowing that he was crying from his grandmother. Little did she know, that it was because he was going to break her heart.

• • •

Anais stayed holed in her bedroom, not even the conscious of homework wasn't permeable to her mind. In there, she stayed trying to come up with logical reasons why Darwin might do such an act. Also...whether is she should keep it to herself.

" Anais? Are you okay in there?" The voice of her worried mother reaching at her through the dark room. " You haven't eaten your dinner." Nicole remarked. Anais sniffled, and wiped her eyes, becoming unsettled from today.

" I'm fine." She spoke out. Regardless of her response, Nicole opened the door to the dark room and turned n the light.

" Honey? Is everything alright?" She asked with a soft, warm voice. Anais stooped her head lower and pushed her palms against her eyes. " Oh...dear." Nicole said gently, sitting next to her as she rubbed her daughter's arched back.

" What's wrong? Did something happen at school?" Nicole asked. At this point, Anais felt a chill pass down her body. Mainly for the reason that she had the strongest urge to disclose Darwin's upcoming plans, but at the same time, the guilt rose within her that it wasn't any of her business to be sharing.

" Honey?" Nicole coaxed. Anais took a deep breath, letting another chill descend.

" I...It's..." Anais began, her tongue gluing itself in her mouth, her mind forcing her to not speak. " I...It's just the stress...and the events that's been going on...and...the fact we have one day left until..." Anais lied. It wasn't the reason she was so upset. And she to it to her mother; in front of her face. Anais lost respect for herself at this point, as she began crying again. Nicole only held her in her arms and rubbed her back.

" It's okay, honey...It'll be okay." Nicole reassured, the heat of her touch warming up Anais' body. Though She couldn't help but get the thought into her mind. _No...it won't be okay._


End file.
